iMake a Proposal
by Metatron85
Summary: From an idea by Invader Johnny. Carly had been trying to have a child of her very own. But a medical condition prevents her from ever conceiving. And to make matters worse; her being single makes her unable to be approved for adoption. Sam hatches a plan to help her best friend - marry her. A simple plan at first but feelings can get complicated. CAM endgame.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: From an idea by Invader Johnny. iCarly isn't what I'm known for but I'm taking another crack at it.  
**

 **Hey, it's me. Don't fret - I'm working on the next _Lady Victory_ chapter.**

 **Just needed a little break from the comic book stuff. I ought to have the next installment for this one in a couple weeks - hopefully.**

 **I know I've said before I don't have time for requests anymore but I promised this one a long time ago and a promise is a promise.**

 **Please review ;-)**

* * *

Sam Puckett walked out of Westside, which the students have come to call West Seattle High School. The final bell tone rang and luckily there wasn't any after school activities that needed her attention. Carly had been blowing up her phone with texts and a voicemail. Sam knew she had gone to see the doctor this afternoon and now Carly was asking for her to come over as soon as possible. Carly knew that Sam had her obligations at Westside with her art teacher job and since she was relatively new, couldn't just call out or leave early. But she knew also that otherwise, Sam would make a B line for her apartment. They have been the best of friends for over 25 years and if it wasn't Carly's support, Sam would never had envisioned herself as a college graduate with a teaching degree.

There was a brief period of being a celebrity when Sam first became one of the faculty. It came back to some of the parents of kids in her class that Sam Puckett from iCarly was their teacher. Apparently, fans of that web series she co-starred when she was a teenager grew up and had kids of their own. That made the more recent back to school night interesting. In her mid-thirties, Sam was occasionally embarrassed by some of the bizarre things they did online for laughs. In fact, she was worried it would affect her getting hired when she finished college. Fortunately, that turned out not to be the case.

* * *

She pulled in front of Carly's apartment building and checked her pocket to make sure she had her phone. Turning it on, Sam smirked. Carly was always on the first page of her recent calls.

"Hey Carls" she said. "Can you buzz me in?"

"Oh...ok" Carly replied.

In a moment, the door buzzed and Sam let herself in. Carly's tone of voice rubbed her the wrong way. She sounded really mousy and like she had been crying. That means something must have happened at the doctor.

Sam had a bad habit of forgetting her key to Carly's place so she often had to be let in. She turned the knob and thankfully the door was unlocked.

The brunette was curled up on her sofa, clutching a pillow. She _had_ been crying. The blonde quickly got to her side.

"Carly, what's up? Wh-what happened?"

Reluctantly, Carly put down the pillow. Her eyes were red and wet; she must have been here sobbing for a while. Sam was kicking herself for not being here sooner but she was stuck. Carly would never in a million years make her feel guilty for doing what she had to do. That didn't mean Sam had to be as forgiving.

"Carly?"

"Um," she sniffed. "So I went to the OB/GYN...Dr. Klein..."

Sam nodded, "Yeah?"

For the last two years, Carly had been trying to have a baby. She wasn't a virgin but nothing manifested in past relationships anyway because she always was on the pill and the guy used a condom. Carly never gave an inch on that. But sometime after turning 30 and her higher education behind her; Carly was sullen that she hadn't started a family yet while others in her class was doing just that. Even Freddie Benson had entered into a very serious relationship with a girl he met at college.

Carly had exhausted different avenues to have a child naturally. She had been to the donor clinic more than once but she got nowhere with that. Her cycles had always been irregular so she just chalked it up to missing her ovulation mark. There are people who have more trouble than others conceiving a child. She knew that but lately Carly couldn't stand it anymore and made an appointment to see her doctor.

"What did she find?" Sam asked.

"Turns out I have a condition..." Carly squeezed more tears out of her eyes. "I...I can't remember what she called it...but basically there is a problem with my fallopian tubes. If an egg gets fertilized, it can't reach my womb. I...c-c-can't carry a baby."

Sam felt a lump in her throat.

"I'm so sorry, Carly" she said taking her friend's hand.

"It's just not fair," the brunette shook her head. "I tried not to get pregnant until I knew I was ready and now here I am and..." she started crying into her pillow again. "It's not fair!" her voice muffled.

"Maybe," Sam sighed. "Maybe you can try...adoption?"

Carly shook her head, "Been there, done that."

"What?"

"For a little bit, I was worried about there being a problem with me. So I looked elsewhere. After talking to the adoption agency, they had to refuse me."

Sam stood up, genuinely upset. "Why?"

"They said me not being married was essentially a red flag."

"That's bullshit!" Sam folded her arms. "You're the most compassionate, responsible person I know. Got all of these kids who need a home and they won't get somebody nearly as good as you for a mom!" She pointed at herself. "Believe me, I've seen enough bad mothering to recognize a great one."

Carly appreciated the sentiment but it wasn't enough to lift her spirits.

"It shouldn't be a factor!" Sam added.

"Well it is," she sighed. "So I guess that's it."

Sam started pacing around the living room, her mind buzzing about all she had heard. Carly was absolutely right; this wasn't fair at all. She couldn't think of a more fit mother for a child who needs one. Never mind the fact she is an adult with a steady job. No, having a spouse is the deal maker. Sam racked her brain for what she could do to help her friend but she was coming up empty.

Sometimes, when desperate for an idea, Sam's mind can go to let's say a strange place.

"I know," she said.

Carly looked up. "What?"

"What if you married somebody?" Sam suggested.

The brunette tilted her head at her best friend. Sam had this look about her like getting hitched was the simplest thing in the world.

"Really, Sam? Just like that?" Carly sighed. "Marry who, exactly?"

The blonde looked at her feet, biting the inside of her cheek. She muttered something that Carly couldn't quite hear.

"What?"

"Me," Sam replied a little louder. "What if you...married...me?"

Carly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I can think of at least two things wrong with that plan of yours."

Sam gave her a look.

Carly rolled her eyes, "Sam, we can't just get married to defraud the adoption people. It's dishonest."

She sat beside Carly.

"Look, when you think about it-not really. I mean, I've been out for six years now. I love you to death. And then there's you; you always look after me because you love me too. _You_ want a baby and that will make you happy. Now think about all those things; none of them were false."

"Except for the most important one of all," Carly said. "We aren't..." she waved her hands between herself and Sam. "you _know_."

Sam chuckled how after all these years Carly wasn't one to mention sex or anything like that aloud, despite having had it herself.

"They're not going to focus on that stuff, Carls. All they want to know is that we will be good parents. Once we get our foot in the stupid marriage door, they will look at us closer and find the things that really matter. We're both employed; your hours are flexible while me as a teacher makes our resume look even better..."

"You conveniently left out the fact that we live in two separate apartments."

Sam shrugged, "So I'll let the lease run out. It's due anyway in a month."

Carly shook her head "You're serious about this?"

"Carly," she took her hand and looked her dead in the eye. "I've never been more serious before. You are my best friend for the longest time. Everything positive in my life was because of you always having my back. It's time I did something to help you."

"Sam..." she was on the verge of tears.

"So what do you want to do?"

Carly thought about it.

"I guess...um...do you think it will work?"

Sam smiled "There is _nothing_ we can't do."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm so thankful for all your reviews so far. The first chapter's reactions make me the most nervous because I have to see if you're on board for the idea.**

 **Its been COOOOLD here on the east coast and I work overnight so fun-fun-fun for me :-P**

 **Please tell me what you think.**

* * *

Carly spent the last hour on her laptop, looking at options for having a wedding. She had been thinking about getting married since she was little but she didn't anticipate it would occur this quickly. Let alone that her other half wasn't a groom.

"Well, find anything?" Sam asked.

"It's not easy" Carly said with a huff. "Venues that are gay-friendly aren't in huge abundance."

Sam raised an eyebrow "Are you being for real?"

"Check out this one" Carly pointed with her finger at the screen. "Read this paragraph under their mission statement."

The blonde sat next to Carly, taking the laptop in her hands and read the passage. It only took a little longer than expected because Sam had to constantly re-read what she had just read.

"People like that disgust me," she frowned.

"Got any other ideas?" Carly asked.

Sam put on her thinking face "I know; let's just go to city hall and do it there."

"What?"

"Yeah," Sam shrugged. "My mom did the same thing with her last husband. Nobody has to get all dressed up, no frilly decorations, no bullshit - its just in and out."

Carly looked kind of disappointed "Oh."

"What?" Sam asked.

"I dunno...I always thought of a big wedding with friends and family around me, wishing me luck..."

"Look it, you can still have that one day. This is just to get us hitched for right now. That way you can get that baby of your dreams."

Carly rubbed the inside of her cheek with her tongue.

"What about you?"

Sam looked perplexed. "Me?"

"I guess I would feel a little better about this whole charade of yours if I knew you were getting something out of it."

"Seriously?"

Carly closed her laptop and set it aside. "I would just feel a lot better if I knew we were both benefiting somehow since we are both halves of this lie."

Sam threw up her hands "How about...oh, I know! Your insurance."

"My insurance?"

"Yeah," the blonde grinned. "Your health insurance. Mine is shit because let's face it, you pretty much are screwed as a teacher."

"I don't follow" Carly shook her head.

"Because I don't work all year, we have to go outside the school for coverage. I can't afford some measly HMO. But you have a sweet health plan."

Carly's eyes darted around. "It's okay, I guess."

"You guess?" Sam shot back. "Remember that nose operation you got for those polyps that were getting in the way of your breathing?"

The brunette recalled that from a couple years ago. For the longest time she had gotten by with her breathing machine to help her when laying down at night to sleep. But overtime, more polyps grew and it got unbearable. Now after the surgery and who knows how many E.N.T. doctor appointments; Carly had no trouble breathing and was able to sleep for the first time in years without her machine.

"At least now I no longer look and sound like Darth Vader when I sleep," she chuckled.

Sam sighed, grateful to see Carly smiling again. She couldn't stand it when she was upset.

"Right, but do you remember what you ended up having to pay for it?"

Carly tried to recall. "I think...it was like $800."

Sam nodded, "Uh-huh and the whole thing was...what...ten grand or so? Insurance covered the rest of it. And as your wifey, I get access to that sweet coverage. So, feel better?"

The whole marriage of convenience thing was still rubbing her the wrong way but it was hard to deny that it would help the two of them. Three, if you count the child. One gets to be a mother, one gets some much needed healthcare and the third gets a home. Everybody wins, she reasoned. It still felt wrong but Sam had this way of talking Carly into such predicaments.

"What if we get caught?" Carly said, nervous.

"How?" Sam said. "There is video evidence of us knowing each other for years. Who's to say we haven't been dating behind the scenes? Think about it; there's not a single thing about you that I don't know. Nobody's closer to me than you and vice versa."

Carly winced "I know we can probably pull it off and I admire your confidence. But I'm really scared about all of this."

Sam put her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"Hey, Carls...its me. I wouldn't get you in trouble..." Sam thought about it. "...on purpose. Okay?"

The brunette smiled "Okay," she said quietly. "So when do you want to do this?"

"Easy there," Sam said. "We have to go and get a license to wed first."

"So much for getting it done today, huh?"

Sam slapped her forehead "Oh, crap!"

"What?"

"Well, when we do this thing...they're gonna need witnesses. That's what me and Melanie were for my mom's."

Carly shrugged "Who are we gonna get?"

Sam pondered and flashed a devilish smile.

* * *

Spencer was painting his latest addition to the mural of his new apartment when his phone beeped.

It was a text from Sam.

He grinned, opening up his screen out of lock to read it.

"SAY WHAT?"

Seconds later, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Spence. Its Freddie. This might sound weird but did Sam send you a text about marrying Carly?"

* * *

Sam hung up her phone and beamed at Carly.

"Not to worry, I got us two witnesses." She then sat back down. "You...your phone might be blowing up for the rest of the day."

As promised, Carly's phone vibrated loudly on the table, making the pair jump.

"Great," the brunette sighed.

* * *

One week later...

Carly Shay and Sam Puckett was standing at the Seattle Justice Center on 600 Fifth Avenue, license in hand and witnesses behind them.

They had to wait a few days for the license to come through and prior to the ceremony proper, a few hundred bucks in fees needed to be rescinded. A wedding costs something, regardless of size, apparently.

Now they were waiting for the judge to come out of chambers to preform the ceremony.

"All rise, for the Honorable Judge Corbett."

Carly turned and gave her brother and Freddie a look for them to stand up. Melanie and Pamela Puckett was already familiar with the courtroom setting so they were already on their feet.

The middle-aged man in the black robe oversaw the scene and sighed.

"I appreciate you keeping it under eight people; these things can get out of hand."

Sam chuckled.

"I trust these are your witnesses," the judge said, indicating to the four behind the women.

"Yes, my honor" Carly cursed herself. "I mean, _your_ honor."

"It's fine," he smiled. "And you are?" he asked, reading a piece of paper.

"Carly Shay," she replied.

"And that would make you Samantha Puckett," he pointed to the blonde.

Normally, Sam didn't care for her full name being spoken but in this more formal setting, she let it slide and just smiled. One thing her mother taught her was it always pays to be cordial toward a judge.

"Yes," Sam replied.

"Okay, then" he cleared his throat. "Do we have any rings for the occasion?"

Carly winced, "Um, no. I'm afraid we don't."

"WAIT!"

Everybody turned around at the tall man standing in the open doorway to the courtroom.

"I'm sorry, judge" Colonel Shay said. "But I'm not going to allow my daughter to marry without her father giving her away."

"Dad," Carly grinned.

Spencer tensed up purely by reflex but he quickly relaxed as his father got closer to his sister.

"I thought you couldn't make it," she said.

"Well, I couldn't miss this."

"You're not mad, are you?" Sam asked.

Colonel Shay looked at her. "Probably if I had missed it. But I didn't so I'll get over it." He held Sam's hand. "You know, this both surprises me and then again it kind of doesn't. Sam, I must confess I always saw you as another daughter. This just cements it."

A single tear escaped the blonde's eye.

"Stop," she shakily said.

He looked down and asked, "No rings?"

"No," Sam shook her head.

"Then take these," he said, taking two rings out of his pocket. "Carly...this is your mom's engagement ring." He then turned to Sam "...and this the wedding band. I'm not sure about the size but it ought to be close."

The two women starred at the sterling silver rings in their hands.

"Dad, I c-c-c-ouldn't accept..." Carly stammered.

Sam shook her head "Yeah, really Mr Shay..."

"I insist!" he said. "She would want them to end up here. And I'm certain she would give anything to be here right now."

The pain in her stomach from the guilt was doing somersaults. Carly felt like she was going to burst right then and there. But she looked into her father's eyes and saw a mixture of pride and sadness. She couldn't tell him the truth.

"Thanks, dad" Carly said.

"Are we good to proceed, now?" asked the judge.

"Yes," Sam nodded.

"Okay, here we go. Do you, Carly Shay take Samantha Puckett to be your legally married spouse?"

"I..." Carly turned to Sam, who gave her a reassuring look. She then took Sam's hand and placed her mother's engagement ring on it. Surprisingly, it fit just fine. "I...do."

"And do you, Samantha Puckett take Carly Shay to be your legally married spouse?"

Sam gave Carly a glance into her eyes. What the brunette didn't know was she forgot the whole plan. At this very instant, she was speaking from the heart. Butterflies crept in her throat as she slipped the wedding band on Carly's finger. Another perfect fit.

"You bet I do."

Murmurs and light laughter permeated about the witnesses.

"Very well, then" the judge put down his paper. "It is in my power by the state of Washington to recognize your marriage as legally binding and may I personally wish you both a long and happy life together."

He slammed down the gavel.

"Next party, please!"

The Shay-Puckett group slipped out of the courtroom where Colonel Shay said he would take everyone out to celebrate.

"Sam?" Carly asked. "Are you okay?"

The blonde clutched her stomach and lied "I'll be okay. I just need some air."

"Okay, just don't go too far. We'll meet you out there."

"Alright," Sam nodded and made her way outside the courthouse.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am writing this chapter rather than watching the Oscars. For a movie geek like me, that sounds like a sacrilege but I honestly didn't get to see enough from last year to give a damn. BUT, I'm hopeful the nominees I do like get the prize. Ennio Morricone got his and he's been composing film scores for decades. And of course, congrats to Leo after all his hard work.  
**

 **Fresh from a nap in my new bed and ready to crank this one out.**

 **Please leave reviews, folks ;-)**

* * *

Sam was outside the courthouse, overcome with too many feelings to remain on her feet. She had to sit down. It was at this point that Spencer came behind her.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked.

The blonde looked back, not expecting to have been followed.

"Y-y-yeah, I think."

He quietly sat beside her and tried to make eye contact but her face was too downcast.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't feel too good," Sam admitted. "My stomach...I dunno..."

Spencer took a deep breath and said "Sam...Carly told me..."

Sam looked up at him, wide-eyed.

"...about everything."

"When?" she asked.

"Oh, shortly after you sent me the text about the two of you getting hitched. Naturally, I had a few questions for my baby sister."

She ran her fingers through her hair, "Right."

Spencer continued "When she told me why I thought she was crazy but when I tried talking her out of it, she started crying. Like a crying I haven't seen from her in a very long time. And I've known her longer than you. I couldn't believe it; it was like she was on fire and I was trying to put her out."

Sam nodded, "Carly really wants this." She then corrected herself "The baby, I mean."

"I know I've been avoiding this and it still isn't an easy question to ask, but what's your plan?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you plan to stay married legally for a couple of years or something and then separate? How long are you planning to keep this thing going?"

Sam shrugged and replied "We haven't thought that far ahead, to be perfectly honest. I guess after the adoption we stay together for at least a few years until all of the mumbo jumbo is behind us and the baby's ours." She then face-palmed herself. "I meant Carly's."

Spencer looked behind to see anybody coming but it's deserted.

"Listen, I could see the pain in Carly's face. I know she doesn't like to lie, especially to her dad."

"I know the whole thing is a sham," Sam blurted out. "But you know what? We're the most legit sham marriage in the world!"

He was a little bemused where all of this emotion came from.

"I don't get it," he said.

Sam started counting on her hand "We both love each other; we both care for each other. Your sister always had my back and nobody messed with her as long as I knew her. We can definitely live together. The only thing that isn't the truth is us not being...romantically involved."

Spencer cleared his throat.

"I just hope you guys know what you're doing."

"Yeah, me too" Sam sighed.

"Hey guys!"

They both turned and stood up at the sight of Carly, Mr. Shay and everybody else.

"What's up?" asked Sam, deftly wiping the beginning of a tear.

"Dad's ready to take us to dinner at Spaghetti Western. He originally wanted to take us to Canlis but I told him its too much and besides, we aren't dressed for a place like that."

Spencer nodded and helped give Sam a nudge in the back so the two of them could join the post-wedding party.

* * *

The gang went to Spaghetti Western, formerly La bete, and had a good time. Plenty of laughter and stories about the couple and their long history together, Carly took the spearhead in fielding questions about when they started going out. Sam just quietly concurred with Carly's facts. The pasta was spectacular and she really was hungry. But Sam was of two minds throughout the evening; she loved that everyone was together but then again, she felt that same sinking feeling in her guts since they recited their vows.

Pam commented that the two women were being very responsible with having a small ceremony with close friends and immediate family. Too much money goes towards these extravagant weddings and then to an equally-illustrious and unjustified vacation. When the couple returns home; everybody's broke. She said she liked the idea of just going out and doing it and then returning home as married.

Speaking of which, after Sam and Carly said their goodbyes, they headed back to Carly's apartment.

Sam suggested that she go back to her place and begin packing up stuff. Truth be told, Sam hadn't even begun to move her stuff over to Carly's place. To keep up appearances, they planned on being married for the better part of a year before adopting. It would look a little less contrived. So, Sam naturally figured she had plenty of time. Carly's apartment had two bedrooms because she always liked to entertain and have people over so she made it a habit to have a spare room for guests. But pretty soon, that will become the baby's room.

"Sam," Carly protested. "Even though it's not real, this is still the night after getting married. It was a big day and you look tired anyway."

"No I'm not" Sam nodded.

The brunette shook her head and pointed toward the hall.

"Bed, now!"

Sam sniffed "Sheesh, my wife for less than a day and already a nag."

Carly scoffed and began plugging in her phone on the charger by her bed. She was a little confused when Sam didn't show up. Looking for her, she found Sam in the guest bedroom. The blonde was laying on the sofa.

"What are you doing?" Carly asked, arms folded.

"Going to sleep," Sam replied in a deadpan tone.

Carly chuckled "You know, it folds out into a bed, right?"

"I know" Sam rubbed her temples. "But I need to get used to sleeping on a couch, right?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on, Carls" Sam sighed. "You will be making this the baby's room before you know it. Eventually, I will then move to the couch out in the living room."

"Not...necessarily..."

Sam interrupted "It'll be fine. I can fall asleep on the couch in front of the TV and I'm not far from the fridge."

She was hoping that this little slice of humor would be enough for Carly to abandon the subject but no dice.

"Sam," Carly said. "You don't have to sleep on the couch."

"Why?" asked Sam.

"We're both adults, Sam!" she stomped her foot. "We can share a bed...you know, for sleeping."

Sam just stared at her.

"I'll pass," she finally said.

"Why?" insisted Carly. "You can't sleep on the couch every night. It can't be good for your back."

"Really, Carly" Sam said firmly. "I'll be fine."

"What's the issue?" she asked. "We've slept in the same bed before."

Sam rolled her eyes "Yeah, we did that sort of thing before but one, we were kids; two, I didn't know about me and girls then; and finally, we are now a married couple in the great state of Washington."

"So?"

 _"So?"_ Sam raised an eyebrow. She took a deep breath and tried to explain herself in as few words as possible. "I appreciate you being cool with that but for me...it's asking alot."

Carly's expression looked pained with embarrassment and remorse.

"Oh, I see" she said in almost a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry" Sam shook her head.

Carly held up her hand "No, you're absolutely right. I was just stupid...from me being tired. Don't read anything into it."

Sam frowned "I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to be honest."

"I know," she quickly nodded. "I'm gonna brush my teeth and turn in."

"What do you want to turn into?"

Sam's silly question whenever she slept over at Carly's usually made the brunette smile and even giggle. But that fell dead as she silently walked away. Sam laid there on the couch, watching and waiting for the light emanating from the bathroom to turn off.

 _"This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought."_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Man, work has been the worst lately. Two of our people quit and its beginning to get very busy. This may drastically reduce my output in the future. I used to update every few days, then it became weekly. Now...I dunno...it may have to be once a month at the most.**

 **I apologize for making everybody wait the longest I've ever had to make readers wait before. But real life happens and as much as I would love to do nothing but write for the site, I can't.**

 **I will continue to do my best  
**

 **Okay, enough rambling. Please read and enjoy!**

* * *

Sam's nose was the best alarm clock in the world. Normally, she used her automatic coffee maker to brew a fresh pot in the morning. Sam smelled coffee but other things were wafting through the air. Bacon, eggs and potatoes. Carly had to be cooking breakfast. The blonde rolled over and sat up, remembering the awkwardness from the night before.

She wasn't quite sure how to face her. Sam regretted how she inadvertently put one of her many cards on the table. If she continues to slip like that, Carly will know something is up. As much as it may hurt, Sam cannot let Carly know the truth. It's all so delicate. While the marriage was a fraud in theory, Carly did have a point the more she thought about it.

"Alright," the blonde sighed. "Here we go."

Sam stretched as she lumbered into the kitchen. Carly was frying bacon on the stove and focusing her attention on that, holding it at arms length to avoid the hot crackling. Sam cleared her throat to alert Carly of her presence. The brunette looked up, surprised.

"Oh, hey" she smiled. "Sleep OK?"

Yawning, Sam replied "Uh-huh. Smells great in here."

Carly looked down at her pan, "Thanks." She gestured to the coffee maker. "It's fresh."

Sam walked over to the cabinet and got a mug.

"It's regular, right?" she asked.

"Is there any other kind?" Carly raised an eyebrow.

"Good," Sam grinned as she poured herself a cup.

Carly put the cooked bacon down on a potholder situated on the table. She then leaned on the counter, folding her arms at Sam.

"So...how long did you know that Spencer was giving me decaf for years?"

Sam took a long sip and smirked, "I figured it out when we were in the 10th grade."

"You do realize that I didn't know I was fooled until college."

"Oh?" she tried to suppress a giggle.

Carly put her hands on her hips "It isn't funny, Sam! I thought I was...like...immune, or something."

"Immune to coffee?" Sam chuckled.

"I wanted to stay awake for a late night cramming session, so I asked my roommate to bring coffee to the group. I must have drank like four cups of coffee that night. Sufficient to say, the caffeine made me so freaking wired...I was up for 36 hours straight!"

Sam's chuckling exploded into full belly laughter. She did her best to keep her coffee mug steady as her whole body was shaking.

"I'm so glad that I can still amuse you," grimaced Carly.

"Sorry," Sam gasped. "I'm sorry."

Carly went over to the kitchen table and sat down.

"Listen," she began while holding her own coffee with both hands. "We need to talk about last night."

Sam shut her eyes and sighed, wishing that this subject would be sidestepped but she wasn't lucky.

"Okay," the blonde pulled up a chair and sat across from her "wife."

"I didn't like how last night went," Carly admitted. "I don't want you to feel like a guest. I mean...you are living here after all."

"Not officially," Sam shook her head. "Not yet. Still have to hammer out all my shit with my landlord."

Carly huffed "You know what I mean, Sam. If we're gonna do this, then...then we need to get used to being around each other. I mean, when we go to meet with the adoption people, right? We have to be comfortable, not standoffish."

"You're asking me to sleep in the same bed, aren't you?" Sam asked.

"Look, that's one line you drew in the sand." Carly shrugged. "Then I have to respect that. I won't ask you that again. Okay?"

Sam nodded, "Alright. What else?"

"Did you have any ideas?"

"Well, I haven't given it a lot of thought...but...maybe we can go on a date-type thing."

"Seriously?" Carly asked.

Sam sipped some more coffee.

"Like you said; we will have to be interviewed and everything. If we are going to be sold as a married couple, then we should practice. Like being out in public and acting like we're together. It has to look natural."

"Yeah, I agree" Carly nodded. "What should we do for these date-things?"

"I don't know," she grinned. "What you would normally do; see a movie, have dinner, go antiquing, _something_."

"When do you want to start doing that?"

"How about tomorrow night?" Sam suggested. "I know you have to go into work today but tomorrow we're both off."

Carly cleared her throat, obviously nervous.

"This is gonna feel really, really weird" the brunette said.

"The weirdest," Sam raised her mug. "Cheers."

Carly smiled and joined in with her coffee. "To best friends in one more crazy predicament."

"Exactly," Sam nodded. "Think of it as one last hurrah at being on the wild side before you make the leap into motherhood." She took another sip. "Speaking of kids; have you thought of any names?"

"Well, I'm not going to get my hopes up. Besides, for all I know he or she might already _have_ a name."

"Yeah," Sam said.

Carly grabbed her fork and took a bite of scrambled eggs.

"So, anything planned for you today?" she asked.

Sam scrunched up her face "Probably get some of my things and bring them here."

"You gonna need any help?" Carly asked.

"Nah," Sam shook her head, eating a piece of bacon. "Not a lot of stuff to bring; clothes, books, DVDs, nothing heavy really."

"What about furniture?"

Sam scoffed "Look around, Carls. You're place is already furnished. I'll probably just sell my bed and stuff."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"What else am I supposed to do with all that crap when I no longer have an apartment to keep them in."

Carly rolled her eyes "You could keep them in storage."

"Really?" Sam folded her arms. "A storage unit _that_ big on a teacher's salary? I'm much better off getting rid of it all."

"Won't you need it when..."

"When what?" Sam interrupted.

"You know," Carly put down her fork. "When you eventually move out."

The blonde put up her hands "Whoa, hold up! I just got here, and now you're already counting the days until I'm gone?"

Carly quickly shook her head "That's not what I meant..."

"You think once the baby thing happens I'm leaving?"

The brunette rubbed her arm "You're not?"

"Of course not!" Sam said. "You think I'm going to let you do this by yourself?"

"Sam..." she smiled, almost moved to tears.

"Don't get all mushy on me," she said covering up her own emotions with taking another sip of coffee. "Besides, we agreed if any of us had kids we would be the greatest aunt on the planet. I'll be the second mom, which will be even better."

Carly began digging into her diced potatoes.

"Nice," she chuckled.

* * *

Half and hour after Carly left for the office, Sam laid on the sofa watching extremely lazy Saturday afternoon television. Even at her most bored she couldn't bring herself to watch wannabe game shows or low budget sword and sandal fantasies. Though admittedly, she had a soft spot for reruns of _Xena_ whenever they would happen to be on.

Weary of being a couch potato, which was something her younger self would never think, Sam got up and went into the shower.

Sam didn't do much in terms of washing in those first few minutes. She stood there, warm water pelting her skin. Standing there, deep in her thoughts.

Carly used to always take long showers like this when she was sorting things out.

 _Carly._

The blonde leaned against the white tiles, away from the stream of the shower head.

Things were so different now.

Back in grade school; Sam practically lived at Carly and Spencer's apartment at the Bushwell Plaza. The most she stayed over in one sitting was a couple of nights, but that was it. Here they were, as adults, locked into a domestic partnership. They not only live together but have declared themselves the other's wife.

Sam would be lying if half of her didn't enjoy the idea. There _were_ fleeting moments when she was struggling with her sexuality, but Carly wasn't what you would call a crush. That being said; the mock proposal and marriage that came after, though dishonest on paper, felt like it made total sense. In retrospect, any guy they ever dated never panned out. Hell, both of them went out with Freddie at one point. But whenever a rift came between them, no matter how bad, wouldn't last long and they would make up. Even an outsider would see that their relationship was the one they valued the most.

Ending up as married would be a logical progression. How many times two people in love began as best friends? When Sam got down to it, she couldn't see herself with anyone else really.

"Wouldn't it be nice if Carly felt the same?" she pondered. Sam then quickly shook her head. "Of course not. Don't be stupid."

Sam shut the water off and grabbed an orange towel off the rack to dry herself.

After dressing but her hair still wet, Sam took out her phone and checked the time. She had to make a stop first at the school on her way to her apartment. Sam needed boxes for the move and she knew that there were a ton of these of varying sizes in the AV room. Glen, the custodian, would let her in.

She picked up her keys, checked that she remembered to put that spare key Carly left on the ring, and left.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Having a nice three days off to calm down. Thought I would get some writing in and have the next chapter up. I noticed reviews have been tapering off a little bit. I hope everybody is enjoying the story.**

 **Please let me know if you have any questions at all. PM me anytime.**

* * *

Carly breathed a sigh of relief when she completed her 18th, and final, report. Being the assistant logistics supervisor for GardenGreen, a West-Coast based produce distributor, could be a demanding position. They deliver fruits and vegetables from growers in California to the rest of the country. In the last few years; they've become something of an international operation, working with clients out of Japan and Canada. So, for Carly, this meant lots and lots of paperwork to sort through. She mostly had invoices to double-check when AP couldn't figure out what was wrong with them.

But she was done. And relieved to be going home. Unless Sam hadn't finished and needed help moving.

She dropped off her blue folder in the AP slot on the wall overlooking the main office. Carly marked each report with her initials, letting them know they are ready to be approved come Monday.

Normally, Carly took the stairs but she was really feeling tired from today so she decided to take the elevator. Her heart beat a little upon pressing the little black button and hearing the ding, but she relaxed herself when the doors opened. The cab was small; a mere 5.5 feet squared. Carly took a breath and entered, confident that she wouldn't be in there for long. It was only threes floors down to the lobby.

The silver doors shut softly, leaving Carly looking at her own distorted reflection.

"You can do this," she sighed to herself. "People take these all the time. You're people, right?" Carly chuckled.

The brunette pressed the button for the ground floor but the button didn't light up when she touched it. Carly looked up and the numerals weren't moving. Before she could figure out what was wrong, everything got dark.

Carly let out a short scream because she couldn't see a damn thing. After a few seconds, the emergency lights came on and she could see through a bluish-white tint. It was an improvement but it didn't do much to put Carly at ease. Far from it.

"Help! Help!" she called out.

No answer.

She could feel a jackhammer past her ribs. The brunette scrambled to the panel and pressed the emergency contact button for maintenance.

"Hello! HELLO!" Carly shouted. "Can anyone hear me?"

Totally silent. It had to have been a power outage that affected the building. Carly knew there were very few others in the building besides her today, so chances were nobody knew she was here calling for help.

Carly began breathing heavy, her chest rising and falling like mad. It was all too much to bear. Her slender frame shrank as she slunk into a corner, facing the locked doors. Her breathing was getting more and more erratic. She instinctively grabbed her purse, letting the contents fall to the floor around her, and started to take deep breaths in and out.

Her hyperventilating was beginning to subside but she was not out of the woods yet, physically. Carly's whole body was quivering with fear. All those other occasions when she was freaking out from claustrophobia, such as the space simulator or the therapy closet; Carly at least wasn't by herself. Sam was usually there.

Sam.

Thin, pale fingers scrambled at the floor for her cellphone among her strewn belongings. To an outsider, she looked like she was desperately clawing through invisible dirt to something that was buried. Carly was a hot mess and needed to reach out, unable to handle being in this little space all by herself.

It was little, wasn't it? Doesn't it feel like its actually getting smaller?

Smaller and smaller...

Carly finally seized her phone and found Sam on her recent call list and pushed the green button.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

 _"Please, Sam. Please."_

At last, the call connected.

"Carly?"

"Sa...Sa...Ssss..aa"

Even a simple word with only one syllable, a word she has uttered millions of times, came out like a treacle. Carly's crippling terror reduced her speech to a shaking stutter.

"Carly," her voice filled with concern. "What happened?"

Her best friend tried to reply but again, her words were unintelligible.

All Sam could gather was Carly was clearly upset about something. It bothered her because she had heard the strange sounds she was making before. Then it hit her; Carly had to be stuck somewhere. Trapped.

"Carls, where are you right now? Are you in the car; was there an accident?"

"Li-li-light...no light..." she managed to get out.

Sam replied, "Okay, don't worry. I'm coming to get you, okay?"

The line went dead.

* * *

"Shit!" cursed Sam, staring at her screen saying the call had ended. "Where is she?"

There was no time to think about it. Sam quickly grabbed her keys, not caring about the boxes she still had left and sped to her car.

She figured she'd try Carly's job, thinking she may be stuck in an accident. After whizzing by a few blocks, Sam approached the GardenGreen building and parallel-parked on the other side of the street. She could see a whole bunch of people standing outside but no sign of Carly.

"Where's Carly?" she asked one of the employees. "What happened here?"

"Power outage," the redheaded lady in glasses said. "Electric company's on their way."

"Where is Carly?" Sam demanded.

The redhead looked bemused, "Carly...?"

"CAR-LY SHAY!" the blonde spat. "Carly-Fucking-Shay! Where ** _is she?_** "

"Oh, I don't know" the lady shook her head. "She isn't in _my_ department."

Sam brushed past the woman, practically knocking her down.

"Fuck sake," she growled, walking toward the entrance.

Charging through the lobby, Sam racked her brain trying to figure out where Carly was. She hoped to god she was okay, thinking about how they got disconnected earlier. Maybe it was because the call dropped.

Sam thought about it.

Small space, dark, possibly poor reception...

Then it hit her.

"Elevator," she breathed.

Her eyes caught glimpse of the shiny metal doors and pounded on them.

"Carly!" she yelled. "Can you hear me?"

Sam put her ear to the door but couldn't make anything out. She must be further up. The blonde dashed up the stairs and got to the second floor. She did the same thing, knocking on the elevator doors and calling for Carly. Still nothing.

Then she went up to the third and could make out something, but it was too faint. Finally, at the fourth floor, Sam could hear Carly's panicking sobs from inside.

"Carly! Carly! It's me!"

"Sam?" she cried.

"Listen, Carls, the power is out. I will get to you, just hang in there!"

Carly didn't respond back.

Sam saw an axe behind a breakaway glass box for fires. She smashed it and got a hold of it. The blonde tried to wedge it between the doors to make them open but she wasn't strong enough. Sam suddenly got desperate and stuck her head out the window.

"Hey! Somebody get up here and help me open the elevator up here!"

A few people below rushed toward the lobby while Sam looked around.

"Fuck," she said to herself. "If only I could get to her..."

She then noticed the maintenance door and had a crazy idea.

Sam ran up to the story above where she was and found that floor's maintenance door. She dared to try it. Unlocked. Sighing heavily, Sam let herself in and removed the access panel which led to the elevator shaft. Sticking her head out, she gasped at how drafty and dark it was. She saw a flashlight nearby and shined it downward and sure enough, there was the stuck elevator car.

Like some hero from an action movie, she crawled out through the access window and hopped the few feet to the roof of the car. Sam felt around and came across a square panel she could move out. She peered in and saw Carly, huddled in the corner like a child as if suffering from a horrible dream.

Sam attempted to safely descend into the elevator car but managed to fall on her ass anyway. The moment of pain had to be suppressed because of Carly's current state.

"Carly!"

The brunette was beyond words, too frozen in fear to speak clearly.

Sam learned how to calm her down when these episodes got really bad.

She positioned herself behind Carly on the floor, rubbing her shoulders.

"Ssssh," she whispered to her best friend. "It's alright, Carls. I found you...you're safe now."

Carly's breathing was still hectic, so Sam continued with her therapeutic methods. Sam slowly lowered the seated Carly so that she could lay her head on her chest. She stroked Carly's raven locks, while utilizing her other arm and legs to embrace her to make her feel safe and secure.

"Can you hear my heart beating, Carly?" she asked. "Listen to my heart, okay? Try to breath with me, alright?"

"O...oka..." she tried to respond.

"It's okay," Sam reassured her. "You don't have to say anything. Just breath with me. In..."

Carly took a breath in kind.

"And out..."

She released hers when Sam did.

"That's good," Sam said, rubbing her cheek. "You're doing fine. Just keep breathing with me."

They continued to breath in and out in unison for several more minutes until finally the lights seem to be restored. A second or so later, the doors were pried open and that made Carly's eyes grow wide. Sam ordered them to keep their distance until she was ready to come out; just keep the doors open.

Eventually, Carly was able to muster the wherewithal to get on her feet, with Sam's help of course.

"Th-thank you," Carly whispered, not sure if her voice could be heard.

"Anytime," Sam hugged her as they walked down the stairs slowly.

Together.

* * *

Sam ushered Carly through the front door.

She had asked if she would want to go to the hospital but Carly refused, wanting to be home.

Carly let loose her grip when her bed was in sight and she slid down to lay on her back.

"You gonna be okay?" Sam asked.

"Just need to sleep it off," Carly said softly. "Can you hand me the pills on the bureau?"

Sam looked around and noticed the little orange cup and handed it to Carly.

"Anxiety?"

"Yeah," Carly replied. "Don't worry; its only when it gets really bad. They'll relax me so I can rest."

"Okay," nodded Sam as she got up to grab a bottled water from the fridge.

Once she returned, Carly was already sitting up with two pills in her palm. Sam opened the cap and handed the water to her.

"Thanks," Carly said and swallowed her medication. "Those boxes in the living room everything?"

"Nah," Sam shook her head. "But it can wait."

Carly sighed "Now I feel bad."

"Don't," Sam protested. "It wasn't your fault."

The brunette capped her water and put it on the nightstand and slid down to put her head on her pillow.

"Haven't seen one of those in a long time," Sam admitted.

"Yeah," Carly yawned. "Feels like the longest I go between episodes, the worse the next one gets."

Sam folded her arms, sitting beside Carly.

"Couldn't imagine how that feels. I try but I guess it isn't the same as going through it yourself..."

She turned to Carly and saw her friend was completely passed out. That whole experience exhausted her. The blonde smirked and stood up to cover her. Sam then made sure the lights were off and closed the door to a crack. She wanted Carly to sleep but didn't want to completely leave her alone.

Wanting to put this mess behind her; Sam turned on the TV to _The Walking Dead_ (she had seen every episode, so she could listen to it) and started going to work on her boxes of stuff.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm alive (not-so well, but I'll survive)  
**

 **Sorry it took this long for an update but I didn't forget. Lately things have been impossible. Apologies for the length but I'm just exhausted these days.**

 **I promise a better one after this.**

 **;-)**

* * *

"Can we talk?"

Spencer was surprised by the visit of his baby sister but he was always happy to see her.

"Yeah, sure" he said, stepping aside.

After all these years; Spencer was still residing at the old place in Bushwell Plaza. While Carly moved out on her own, he couldn't follow suit. So many memories from living in this apartment, he just couldn't leave. Besides, this studio was a dull void before Spencer made a lot of customization to make it what it is now. It has too much personality to be anything other than his space.

"What's up?" Spencer asked, sitting next to Carly on the couch.

When Carly was younger, she told Spencer about every little thing. Then when she met Sam, everything changed. She from that time forward was Carly's go-to unless...

"It's about Sam."

He knew it.

"Ah," he sighed, leaning back. "What about Sam?"

"Well, you know how we did this whole living together and being married thing so I could adopt? Now I know how you feel about that but we didn't see many other options. But everything seems different now."

"How so?" Spencer asked.

Carly looked for the words.

"The more I've been seeing Sam everyday and how we've been doing things together like..."

"But you've always did stuff together."

Carly folded her arms.

"I know...but...it doesn't _feel_ the same. I don't know if I'm the one that changed, or maybe there's a side of Sam I never noticed before. I can't explain it but I think I'm getting feelings for her. Like, how two married people are _supposed_ to feel."

Spencer leaned forward, concerned.

"Are you trying to say you might be in love with Sam?"

Carly has been having a reoccurring dream that's been eating away at her. It wasn't terrifying or off-kilter. It was actually very nice.

It was in a tropical hideaway, like one of those secluded vacations they advertise on TV. Carly couldn't say if it were Hawaii or Mexico or Barbados. All she saw were palm trees, a warm breeze and the setting sun.

She was sitting on the beach, watching the beautiful colors in the sky as the day turned to night.

It was not only getting dark, but also cold. Really cold. Carly often forgot how frigid it got when you were near the water. She rubbed her shoulders, trying to keep warm but it wasn't working. All she was wearing was a bikini covered with a thin towel but it did little to help. Suddenly a thick, dark blanket enveloped her body and she turned to see Sam arranging it around them both. She was dressed similarly, in swimsuit attire. Carly looked back to smile in gratitude and caught a glimpse of Sam's body on the way back to looking at the sunset. The brunette had to admit that one of them wore her bikini a little better.

"You're trembling."

The words Carly heard from Sam were immediately followed by her soft hands. The blonde wrapped her arms around her friend, pressing her nearly naked body against Carly's. She could feel her temperature rising already but Sam took it up several notches by planting her chin on Carly's shoulders and breathing heavily near her neck. Her warm breath made Carly's skin become covered in gooseflesh. But this time it had nothing to do with the cold. It felt absolutely wonderful to have Sam there. Before Carly was cold and lonely and the woman with golden hair saved her within moments.

Carly smiled as she forgot about the freezing air around them because under the blanket it was as warm as a bonfire. She looked down and noticed some of Sam's blonde tresses fell over her shoulder. She felt San's hair in her fingertips, with elicited a giggle from it owner.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Just wish my hair was like yours," Carly sighed.

"What'd you mean?" Sam chuckled. " _Your_ hair is gorgeous. It's so shiny."

Carly cuddled up to her companion, looking at her face to face.

"Your eyes are shinier than anything I've ever seen."

The two leaned in for presumably a kiss before Carly would routinely wake up.

Again, nothing about the dream itself felt odd. It was rather pleasant overall. But the implications made her uneasy because it made her ponder. If this was a one and done fantasy, then she wouldn't think anything of it but since this has been returning for the last couple of weeks; could her subconscious be holding a mirror to her face?

Carly stared at the floor, thinking of Spencer's simple question.

"I guess...maybe...I don't even know..."

He knew he had to be careful. Spencer had on good authority that Sam may harbor similar emotions but it wasn't his place to spill the beans. Sam was the one who should tell Carly what was on her mind. Or heart, rather.

All he could do here was listen and do his best as a big brother.

"Did you...um...ever get that vibe from Sam?"

"What?" she asked.

"I mean did you sense she may feel the same? Maybe?"

Carly didn't give it much thought but a few things rose to the top of her memory.

"Well," she began. "There was that time a couple of months ago in the elevator."

"I still can't believe she did that," he shook his head.

"Then there was how she came up with the whole idea of getting married. And when I mentioned about taking care of the baby, Sam immediately jumped up and said she was going to help me."

Spencer smiled.

"What?" Carly asked.

"Carly, I'm no Dr. Phil or anything but Sam sounds like she is either trying to be best friend of the century, or may care for you in a deeper way."

"You think she loves me?"

He held her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"I have no doubt she loves you very much. That she's proven. But whether or not she loves you...like _that_...I think she would be the only one to answer that question."

Carly's mind buzzed with anxieties and heavy emotions.

"I couldn't even begin to imagine how to ask such a question. What would you do?"

Spencer threw up his hands and stood.

"Now if I knew how to talk to women like that, you think I would be sitting here alone on a Saturday night?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Really happy with the reviews on the last chapter. I've always been interested in relationships that take their time to develop. People just aren't as simple as a lot of stories make them out to be. We're full of strengths, flaws and contradictions. Carly has always been friends with Sam but their current situation has elevated their kinship to a new paradigm. What will she do with this revelation?  
**

 **Stay tuned...**

* * *

Sam was down in the basement of the apartment complex doing laundry. Despite the upscale appearance of the building, the laundry room was as dank and dimly-lit as any other place in town. The room was big but only consisted of two washing machines and two dryers on top of one another. Overlooking them were a pair of long wooden tables like the kind you've had in the school cafeteria, which folks used to fold clothes.

The machines can only be activated by key card, which you have to charge downstairs by the main door. Since the card dispenser only took tens and twenties, most residents would only need to recharge their key cards once a month. This time, Sam was cursing herself because she only had $1.50 left on her card and it wouldn't be enough to both dry her first load and begin washing her second. She knew that if she left the room, unattended, to recharge; someone would swoop in and commandeer the washer and then she would have to wait another hour, or even longer depending on how much the other person brought with them.

The blonde said "Screw it" and ran to the next floor to get to the card machine. She dug the wallet out of her jeans. For quick errands, Sam detested the bother of carrying a whole purse. She'd rather pocket her wallet, phone and keys and be out the door. Sam found a ten, relieved it wasn't two fives, and inserted the bill. It struggled at first but finally accepted the money. Now the screen read $11.50 on her account, which made the blonde smile.

She pulled out the card and headed back down to the laundry room. Normally, first thing on a Sunday was a good time as any to wash clothes because Sam didn't want to deal with people. While another person taking over the machines was unlikely, her guard was still up until she walked through that door.

Her eyes widened and she almost lost her footing from the abrupt stop.

There was someone else here now but not who Sam was expecting.

"Hey," waved Carly in a soft voice.

Sam nodded and went right to the basket of dirty clothes.

"You're up early," she remarked.

Carly tended to sleep in on Sundays. It was the one day of the week where she didn't work. Saturdays was more of an on-call day, so making plans was difficult. Meanwhile, Sam's routine was the laundry. She typically had a cup of coffee just to get her going. Then when Carly would wake, the two would have a late breakfast.

"Uh, yeah" Carly chuckled nervously. "Had trouble sleeping actually."

Sam was listening but still focused on what she was doing.

"Why's that?" she asked, concerned.

"Been thinking a lot lately" Carly blurted out, failing miserably with coming up with a smooth transition to her intended line of questioning. "I want to ask you something and it might sound weird but..."

The slamming of the front-facing door of the dryer surprised her.

"But...?" Sam egged her on, whilst preparing the next washing.

"But..." Carly continued. "Are you...I don't know...happy here?"

The blonde closed the lid to the washer with both hands, slowly turning her head to her friend.

"What kind of question is that?"

Carly cleared her throat and tried to stay on target. "Well, _are_ you?"

Sam's eyes darted back and forth.

"I don't even know what the question means," she shrugged.

Carly huffed, "You know, are you happy with living here...with me?"

"It's nice, I guess" she half-smiled. "Seriously, Carls; if there's a joke here, I'm not following."

"It's not a joke!" she stamped her foot, the acoustics of the room made her audible for at least the whole floor. Carly then shook her head "You know what? Forget it, forget I said anything!"

The brunette started to walk away when Sam stopped her.

"Look, I understand that you've been sleep-deprived but you're not making any sense."

Carly sighed, facing her friend once again.

"I'm sorry I blew up."

Sam rubbed the back of her neck. "Can you just tell me what this is about?"

"I want to but its _hard_ ," Carly said, closing her eyes on the last word.

"Why's it have to be hard?"

Carly took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"It's hard for me because when I ask you this question, there's no turning back. I'll have put something very big on the table and I don't know how you would react."

Sam was growing impatient.

"React to _what_?"

"That I like you, _okay_?"

The blonde contemplated the words. Obviously after everything they've been through, having one of those friends saying they like the other is rather redundant. Unless that means...more than simply "like."

Carly sat down on the wooden table closest to Sam, unable to look her in the eye.

"I like you and not like how we've always been."

 _"Oh shit,"_ Sam thought, her heart doing a heavy duty drum solo. _"This isn't happening right now. Tell me I'm dreaming this."_

"I mean," Carly exhaled heavily. "Neither one of us have been seeing anybody in the longest time."

"We've been busy," Sam blurted, trying to deflect the conversation. While she secretly fantasized about this exchange, Sam wasn't certain if she was prepared to handle it actually happening. "Work and...shit," she trailed off, unable to think of anything better.

Carly smirked, "But we always make time for each other, don't we?"

"You're my best friend," Sam said.

"I don't know too many friends who would drop everything and willing to not only commit to me but commit to a baby. And to ask for nothing back?"

Sam folded her arms and turned around, her heart now feels like its going to explode. She was the opposite of prepared for this discussion.

"Not necessarily," she retorted.

Carly spun her friend around, "Really? The insurance thing? It's been three months and you haven't so much as bought cold medicine."

Sam groaned "Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated? Are you wearing a wire?"

"Sam, please be serious here. Just answer me this question and I will never bother you about it ever again, okay?"

"Do I have a choice?"

The brunette put her hands on her hips.

"I've told you that I like you, Sam. The more I think about us and the more it makes sense. Its scary and totally uncharted territory but there is little doubt in me that we could work. Now I need to know, what do you think?"

The blonde paced the room, the weight of the question as ponderous as a whale. Sam rubbed her arms up and down, not from the draftiness in the laundry room but to somehow keep herself together.

"Sam?" Carly pressed.

"Ever since I came out, it was a mixture of people who understood, people who were against it and just plain ignorance. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many times someone asked me if I were dancing with another woman, how do we decide who leads?" She shook her head. "Stupid people. But you were the first one who didn't give me any bullshit. You didn't say much in the beginning but you listened and that's what I needed."

It was at this point Sam was able to muster enough nerve to look Carly in the face again.

"After that, once I started dating girls...I dunno...things would fizzle out. I seemed to go through females like I used to chuck guys to the curb in junior high. Would you believe that Benson is the last guy I've ever dated?"

Carly's expression was receptive, but held no surprise.

"Then there was you. The only constant in my life was you. I guess, all these years, I've been using you as the gold standard. Sweet, smart, responsible, so cute it makes me want to kick a kitten..."

Carly chuckled and even Sam almost broke into laughter. But the two were smiling while hearts were being put on the table.

"I guess I haven't dated anybody since that cashier at Torrid because at the end of the day, no girl would measure up to you." Sam folded her arms and looked away, staring at her shadow on the wall. "Maybe I came to the conclusion it was better to live alone than to settle. And this whole arrangement, the marriage, its I guess you could call it _not_ having your cake and _not_ eating it, huh?"

Sam looked down at her lonely shadow.

"Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment."

Soon another shadow joined hers and took its hand.

"What if it didn't have to be that way?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Look at me, Sam."

The blonde sighed and complied.

"Maybe we can try?" Carly offered. "Like start small, go out to eat or something. That's in our wheelhouse, right?"

"I guess," Sam said.

"What's wrong?"

Sam shrugged "I don't know what will happen. What if we try and this doesn't work out? I couldn't risk losing you."

Carly gave Sam a great big hug. It was a couple of seconds before the blonde reciprocated.

"You'll never lose me, I promise."

Sam said, "My mom used to say 'never say never'." Her grip on Carly grew tighter. "Then again, she's been wrong. A lot."

The two women laughed heartily, still holding an embrace. Both felt so at peace with these new feelings being out in the open. Carly surmised this must be a small taste of what Sam probably felt when she came out. It would be a long way to go before something like the dream, but Carly was confident that it was there somewhere down the line for them.

And Sam, well, she wished nobody would pinch her ever again because she didn't want this to end. After harboring these thoughts of Carly for years, admitting them to her face to face was the most cathartic thing since...she admitted them to herself.

They were still locked in their loving hug when a man carrying a hamper walked in and just stood in the doorway, a little embarrassed.

Sam noticed him but was beaten by one second.

Carly looked at him and quipped, "Oh, stop it; we're married!"

* * *

 **A/N: NEXT CHAPTER: First date.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm back and finally gained some time to write this new chapter.  
**

 **Now, just to let you know (if you haven't figured out already) the story is taking more of an episodic style. I want to highlight key moments in Sam and Carly's ever-growing relationship and allow you to fill in some of the blanks. Naturally, I will try to suggest how much time has passed between chapters. I'm trying to pick and choose my moments with these two.**

 **I'll try to have the next one up soon.**

 **As always, hope you all enjoy ;-)**

* * *

Sam paced around the apartment, mind racing about the evening she had planned. It was the summertime and school had let out, so Sam naturally had some downtime to say the least. Normally she would be bored out of her skull but this time Sam was bursting with anticipation on her first date with Carly.

Her phone vibrated and she saw it was Carly. She had left a text that she was finally done at work with her long presentation and couldn't wait to get home and unwind with a night out. Sam smiled and then noticed the time at the upper right corner of her phone screen.

 _Crap._

Carly will be back in less than twenty minutes. Sam rushed into the bathroom to shower and change.

The sound of the key turning and door creaking open announced the arrival of the brunette.

"Sam?" Carly called out.

"Hey!" Sam responded from her closed door. "How was work?"

Carly made a raspberry noise and tossed her purse to the couch.

"Don't. Ask."

"That bad, huh?"

"Oh yeah!"

Sam was kicking herself for asking but she didn't want her to be uncomfortable tonight.

"You're not too tired for tonight, are you?"

Not hearing a response, the blonde grew worried but after half a minute, Carly called back.

"Sorry, I was doing something. What did you say?"

"Are you still up for tonight?" Sam asked, nervously leaning her ear against the thin wooden door.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

She clutched her chest and sighed in relief. Now Sam could relax a little (very little) and put the finishing touches on her outfit.

"You ready?" Carly asked. "Because I need a few minutes to freshen up."

"Yeah, sure" Sam replied.

After a few minutes, Sam emerged from her room and looked at herself in the full length mirror hanging between the kitchen and the living room. She was on a bohemian chic kick for some time now. Sam managed to find this particular style suitable for most occasions, whether it be the classroom or on a romantic evening; she could conjure up the right thing.

It was a good compromise for Sam because she usually detested wearing traditional women clothing like dresses. It was the main reason why pageants were annoying to her growing up. She was more of an Annie Lennox type when it came to clothing. Her rationale was her being a woman was feminine enough and it ought to show through regardless of what she had on.

Tonight, Sam was sporting a dark blue boatneck top with skin tight black jeans. Complimenting this was a small brown leather jacket with a fedora hat the same color of the jeans. She looked like she could be auditioning for a part in _Rent_ and that suited her fine.

The opening of the bathroom door made Sam turn and almost drop her phone at the sight of Carly.

Carly was donning a black bodycon dress with white floral patterns; very Japanese-inspired. It also hugged the brunette's figure rather nicely.

Sam didn't like wearing dresses but damned if she didn't love how they looked on others.

"You..." Sam swallowed. "You look..."

"Nice?" Carly asked.

"No way," the blonde shook her head. "Nice is thinking you're almost out of fries and you find more at the bottom of the bag. _You_ look amazing."

The brunette blushed, brushing her hair back. "You look great yourself."

Sam rubbed the edge of her jacket with her fingertips.

"Thanks," she grinned. "Ready to go?"

Carly put her hand on her hip and held up her open hand "Go where exactly?"

"Sorry, still a secret" Sam said, grabbing her keys. "Now let's go."

Sam had been tight-lipped about the date ever since it was decided on. All Carly was privy to was the time and date; that's it. She almost had half a mind to blindfold her but Sam decided against it.

She also had another reason to be nervous. This was Sam's first date in a couple of years. When her permanent teaching position gained steam, and she was no longer just a substitute, Sam had little time for the dating scene. A part of her was afraid she was out of touch. The very last woman she dated was an employee at Torrid, a clothing store that Sam was dragged to by a fellow teacher who needed input for a party she was attending. There she met a woman a little younger than her named Mia. The two hit it off at first and things were approaching serious when she all of a sudden left her for an old boyfriend. Apparently, they had a falling out and now patched things up.

It broke her heart but it didn't matter in the long run. Who was there to help her heal? The same woman who was in the passenger seat of her car. And she couldn't be happier.

* * *

They stopped at the Experience Music Project, Seattle's premiere cultural attraction.

Sam parked across the street near the building because it was jam packed. She got the door for Carly and the two, hand in hand, proceeded to walk. Carly was smiling, having not been here for years. Suddenly, Sam stopped walking.

"What's the matter?"

"Look!" Sam pointed.

A huge banner advertising a big movie technology exhibit was now saying it was canceled.

"What happened to the exhibit?" Sam asked out loud. "Hey! You!"

A couple just exiting the building stopped and saw the blonde approaching them.

"Excuse me but where is the movie tech show?"

"Oh," the bearded man nodded. "It ended a day early."

Sam stamped her foot "Really?"

"Sam," Carly reached out.

"I don't believe this!"

"It's okay," Carly gently took Sam's arm, leading her away from the nervous yuppies. "I know you had your heart set on this but why don't we just go to dinner?"

Sam grunted and groaned before responding "Okay, fine. Luckily they can't cancel dinner."

* * *

 _"What do you mean there is no Puckett for two?"_

The girl behind the counter at De Lune, a nice French restaurant, was explaining to the livid woman that her reservation isn't in the book.

"But I **_called_**!"

"Do you remember who you talked to?" the girl asked.

Sam rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Some bird named Jenny."

"Oh," the girl gasped. "She was let go yesterday. Supposedly she had issues with taking reserva-"

She now looked like a deer in headlights.

"You don't fucking say!" Sam sneered.

"Sam!"

Normally, Sam didn't like being corrected on language but let it go when it came to Carly.

"So what do we do now?"

"Well," the girl began flipping through the big book. "We are completely booked for tonight. We actually had to turn away walk-ins."

Carly felt bad for Sam; she wasn't having any luck at all tonight. She rubbed her shoulders to try and keep the flames from erupting.

"You know what?" Sam sighed, slamming her hands on the counter. "Whatever. Just whatever."

She then stormed out of the establishment with Carly close by, looking apologetic to the bunch of onlookers.

Sam got back to the car and leaned against it in disgust.

"I'm sorry, Sam" Carly said sincerely.

"It's not your fault, Carls. I'm just so pissed off! I had all this stuff planned. See the exhibit, have a nice dinner. I was also going to take us on a ferry ride overlooking the city."

Carly touched Sam's hand, trying to stay positive.

"Well, hey, we can grab something to eat and still go on that ferr-"

Thunderclap followed by torrential rain engulfing everything.

"Oh Seattle," Carly lamented, rubbing her arms.

"Let's just go," Sam lowered her head, opening the door for Carly. "Apparently the Fates don't want us to have a nice evening."

That was the last thing Sam said the whole ride back home. Carly looked outside the window mostly, but occasionally stole a glance at Sam who looked so depressed that everything on the night she planned for had gone horribly awry. She wished there was something we can do.

* * *

Back at the apartment, the two looking like completely drenched rats, stepped inside, leaving visible puddles in their wake.

"You go ahead and get a shower," Sam said. "I'll get mine after you."

"Kay," Carly sighed quietly.

The brunette undressed and started the water. She had always thought it odd how when one gets out of the rain, the first thing we want to do is get a shower. Sort of like fighting fire with fire. Standing there, Carly thought about Sam and how crushed she must feel right now. It drives her crazy seeing her like this; Sam always being the more strong and confident one.

Carly repeated the phrase to herself from the car over and over: " _I wish there was something I can do."_

"Maybe I can salvage this," she pondered to herself.

Exiting quickly in a large towel, Carly told Sam that the shower was free. Once the blonde was out of sight, Carly went to work.

Sam walked out of the bathroom, toweling off her hair when she saw Carly come marching in from the kitchen with a big bowl. Sam was about to ask what she had there but the pungent aroma of buttery popcorn was intoxicating.

"Come with me," she ordered.

The blonde obliged and followed Carly to the couch where she gestured with a flick of her head to sit.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"I want us to have a good first date, too. And as far as I can see, the night isn't over yet."

Carly sat down and handed Sam the tub of popcorn. With a click, the lights went off and it was only then that Sam noticed candles strewn about near the couch and on the coffee table. As Sam shifted in her seat, she felt something cold on her leg. It was a couple of cans of ginger ale. Carly then picked up the TV remote and turned on the flatscreen.

"What are you...?"

"Ssshhh!" Carly said with her finger on her lips. "No talking during the movie," she playfully said.

Sam smiled and shrugged.

"So, what are we watching?"

Carly didn't respond verbally but instead brought up the movie on the on-demand screen. She then clicked for it to load.

" _The Conjuring?_ " Sam chuckled. "Are you serious? Since when do you like horror?"

"I like a few, but usually around Halloween. But I heard so many people say this one is really good."

"You never saw it?" she asked.

Carly shook her head "Nope."

The blonde leaned back and took a handful of popcorn.

"Well, you're in for a treat."

Needless to say, the pair were inseparable. Carly screamed and hid for a good chunk of it. But they didn't make it all the way to the end. They were so exhausted from everything, they collapsed asleep on top of one another. Now this was something that happened thousands of times, especially during sleepovers or marathon sessions of picking content for iCarly sent by users. But here it was vastly different.

Carly fell asleep first, her head resting on Sam's chest. She couldn't help but stroke her raven locks and lowering the volume on the TV to better hear Carly softly snoring. The sound was almost as hypnotically effective as white noise because before the third act was finished (Sam had seen _The Conjuring_ enough times) she was drifting off to sleep too.

In her last moments before falling into dreamland, Sam had to admit to herself that this first date was rough but ended perfectly.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hope everyone had a good 4th of July weekend. Now for some fireworks.  
**

 **Really, really, really sorry for leaving you with a month between chapters. It's been increasingly busy and stressful at work. I would give my second favorite arm to make this what I do for a living.**

 **Special shout-out to** **NellieJ2011 who is one of this story's BIGGEST fans.**

 **I'll dedicate this chapter to you ;-)**

* * *

Their disastrous first date (which _did_ end pleasantly) soon led to much more successful days and evenings out.

Not all of their excursions were your usual movie or taking in the local color.

Some were kind of intense.

When Sam caught wind of a new record-breaking roller coaster in Oregon, Carly reluctantly agreed to come along and check it out. Named _Io_ , it had an initial drop of 500 feet and speeds that ordinarily were only experienced by astronauts. A lot of people don't realize how much of a global competition the roller coaster game is and how many countries try to make the biggest, fastest and scariest. This new attraction drew flocks of people from around the world.

Including two women from Seattle, WA.

Carly went on alright, feigning gusto on the outside while inwardly she was freaking out. Back in the day, she wouldn't be anywhere near something like this. That G-force simulator when they were training for _iCarly_ in space was as far as her adventurousness went. But having Sam with her, best friend since forever and quite possibly the love she had always sought; made her feel like she could conquer anything. Sufficient to say, they went through with it, both screaming like mad.

Sam felt quite the rush upon exiting the ride and was so swept up in the moment, she just wanted to kiss Carly right then and there. But the brunette's thousand yard stare made it apparent she was going to be very sick. And so it goes, there was Sam holding the hair of a hunched over Carly while she puked her guts out. Clearly eating lunch beforehand wasn't wise. Considering how Sam had a bad reaction to alcohol more than once, it seemed fair that she was on this end of things for a change.

As the sun was setting on the park, Carly and Sam loaded up into the car and started heading home.

Sam, driving, turned briefly to Carly and asked "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah," she nodded, sipping on ginger ale while holding a soft pretzel in the other. It was all she could keep down for a few hours. "But let's never do that again, okay?"

"Okay," Sam chuckled.

"Did you...have fun, too?" Carly asked.

The blonde rubbed the inside of her cheek with her tongue, sticking her eyes on the road.

"Um...yeah..."

"You hesitated," Carly said.

"No, I didn't!" Sam protested.

Carly put her pretzel in the brown bag it came in and set it down next to her feet.

"You just seem like something's on your mind."

Sam shook her head "It's nothing. It's stupid."

Carly took the last sip of her soda.

"Bet you it isn't," she sternly told Sam. "Now spill."

With a groan and a gnashing of the teeth, Sam knew what was coming. Carly was never the type to let up on something like this. Sooner or later, she would drag it out of her so the best thing was to come right out and say it.

"Are we...shit..." Sam sighed. "Are you my girlfriend now?"

Carly held up her left hand. "I think I'm a bit more than that."

Sam gave her a look that she had only seen before from her mother. Its a look that says cut the bullshit and be serious.

"Carly Shay..." the blonde drug out her name like she was causing a disturbance in class.

The brunette sat back and shrugged "What?"

"I'm just...I'm just not sure where we are, you know? Or _what_ we are."

"Truth?" Carly asked.

"YES!" Sam slammed the wheel.

Carly huffed. "We're best friends who then got married. But we do love each other; we just comically skipped a few levels."

Sam took a long breath and just as slowly released it.

"Somehow I don't think we will ever really make that bridge."

Carly leaned over "What makes you say that, Sam?"

"Well for starters, we've been living together and doing all kinds of stuff. Going out and all...and we still haven't even..."

"What?"

"Kissed. We haven't kissed. Almost half a year married and that is one thing we haven't done yet."

Carly had nothing to say. She replayed every memory she had of the last couple of months, particularly after admitting their feelings for each other. There was plenty of times when they went out or hung out over the years. Seriously, all of the things they have done together could also be applied to really good friends. Sam gets this level of serious only when its something very important to her. If Carly was going to give this couple thing her all, she had to learn to not be afraid of the next logical plateau.

She knew she had to fix this.

Sam felt a warm, smooth touch on her free hand. She looked down and saw Carly's hand in hers.

"I'm sorry," Carly said. "You're right. I've got to stop being scared."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Sam asked.

"Well for starters, I hadn't kissed anyone in a while."

"And I _have_?"

Carly smirked, "Who knows? You might not even like my kissing you."

"Well there's little I can do about that," Sam quipped. "I'm bound to you, whether your kisses suck or not."

Carly squinted her eyes whilst squeezing her wife's hand.

"Bitch."

The blonde shook her head, grinning "I agreed to monogamy. Nobody said I had to stop being a bitch."

"Maybe I should find out who kisses better right here and now," Carly said, taking out her phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just phoning a friend on this million dollar question."

Sam took back her hand and pointed menacingly, "Girl, if you call Benson I swear I will run this car into the nearest ditch."

Carly just stared Sam down while putting the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Freddie!" she cheerily greeted.

"GIMME THAT PHONE!"

* * *

A couple nights later, Sam was leafing through some stuff sent to her in the mail from the school district. This was sent to all faculty and administration members, boning them up on the latest policy changes and other info before the fall school year takes off.

Carly was on the couch opposite her, watching TV.

"You're still reading that?" she asked.

"I'm re-reading it," Sam sighed. "Its like it was written by a lawyer locked in a dark room, ten miles underground." She then began rubbing her head.

Carly sat up, concerned.

"You okay?"

Sam threw the papers and the brown envelope they arrived in onto the coffee table with disgust.

"NO! This shit's giving me a headache."

"Hey, take a break," Carly smiled.

The shrieking of the pot on the stove made them both jump.

"Oh, the water" the brunette noted. "You want some tea?"

"Yeah, thanks" the blonde smirked.

While Carly got up to tend to the teapot, Sam jumped from the chair and sprawled out on the couch. She stretched and made her usual stretching noise. When Carly returned, she huffed and made a face.

"What are you doing?"

"Relaxing," Sam replied, eyes shut in contentment. "Ah...just like you said."

"Oh I see," scoffed Carly, placing the tray with the two mugs on the table. "And what made you think I was done sitting there?"

Sam grabbed a pillow from behind her back and hugged it to her.

"Sorry, cupcake, but its _my_ couch now."

The brunette put her hand on her hip "Did you just call me _cupcake_?"

Sam opened her eyes and made her best shit-eating grin.

"Yes, ma'am, I did. What are _you_ gonna do about it?"

"This," responded Carly a split second before pouncing on the couch thief.

Several years knowing someone gives you vital Intel, such as where they're ticklish the most. Carly knew Sam didn't go for her armpits like most people but was a sucker for her sides, and she went right for them with her eager fingertips. In no time at all, the blonde was howling and crying. She was trying to tell her to stop but the combination of laughter and stifled breathing made her unintelligible.

Carly relented after a solid minute having a go at Sam's sensitive tickle spot. Her hair mussed and breath finally returning to normal, Sam looked up at the other woman.

"You shouldn't have done that," she growled before reaching up to Carly's ears.

Of course Sam knew Carly's most ticklish place. It wasn't just her lobes but the rest of her ear as well. She was such a sucker for that, the right pair of headphones would send shock waves through her body.

"Okay...okay...okay!" Carly attempted to blurt out. "You win, I give up. I give up."

Sam's mischievous fingers ceased but they didn't completely let go of her wife's ears.

Both equally out of breath and coming down from an intense laughing fit; the pair just looked at each other. Neither one of them knew what to say, or do.

At least one of them didn't.

Without a word, Sam pulled down Carly's head. She did it with purpose but was gentle (she didn't want to yank of Carly's ears after all).

"S-Sam?"

The blonde closed her eyes as Carly's face drew near. Sam was initiating it but Carly clearly could stop at anytime. However, the closer she got to the woman's face, the more the brunette was comfortable with this. This whole mental debate took place in the span of a couple of seconds but they felt much longer than that. Something about being in Sam's embrace made time appear to slow down.

Carly sensed the hot breath emanating from Sam's lips. Her breath hitched in anticipation.

Sam laid there, also anticipating the moment of truth. The thing she had been waiting for. And as their lips made contact, Sam felt genuine chills.

Carly's eyes were open up until the very beginning of the kiss. It was definitely a different feeling (no mistake about that) but her anxieties became more and more suppressed. She found herself enjoying this warm exchange so much that Carly closed her eyes like Sam.

There was no tongue or anything, but it wasn't chaste either. It was just...nice. A feel for the two women touching each others lips.

Sam's eyes snapped open as Carly slowly pulled back her head, breaking the kiss with an audible smack. The blonde almost felt the urge to apologize to Carly for kissing her, much like she did to Freddy all those years ago. She was a different person then, she reasoned with herself.

 _"Shit,"_ she thought. _"Too much time's gone by. Say something, idiot."_

"You okay?" Sam asked, mentally face-palming herself.

Carly hovered over her, blinking her eyes in silence. Then a serene smile came over her.

"I think...I understand that Katy Perry song now," she chuckled.

Sam smiled in relief that Carly's feelings about the kiss were mutual.

"You win," Sam said.

"Win what?"

"You _are_ a great kisser."

The brunette noticeably blushed, fiddling with her own hair.

Carly got the nerve to ask "You really liked it?"

"Better than Benson," Sam replied. "Buuuut, I can't be too sure with one kiss. Would like another."

"And another?" Carly smirked.

"And another..."

Sam pursed her lips.

"And another..."

This time Carly leaned in to Sam completely on her own.

"And another..."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay, got this one out a lot sooner than the last chapter. Sorry its a wee bit short.  
**

 **Been kicking around a couple of story ideas; hope to have something else I can give you this summer. Or maybe Fall.**

* * *

Carly was reading her latest Stephen King novel in bed. She preferred paperbacks to the heftier first editions. She remembered when she was younger and wanting to read Stephen King's "It" but the library only carried the first edition, which was 1,400 pages and weighed like fifteen pounds. Sufficient to say, Carly had a hard time taking her reading material wherever she went. So, there would be this annoying period when a new book comes out and months have to pass before the mass market paperback hits the shelves. And during those long months, Carly tried to avoid reviews and spoilers which isn't easy because NY Times bestsellers are widely read.

A thud from a heavy backpack made her almost drop her book without bookmarking the page first.

"Whoa!" she gasped.

"Sorry," sighed Sam, using her foot to push the bag out of the way of the bedroom door. "Long day."

"What's in there, rocks?" Carly asked.

Sam plopped on the bed, staring at the ceiling fan.

"I _wish_! They're more fun to chuck at people who annoy you than a book."

Carly grinned when strains of the old Sam would seep through.

"Why were you at school so late? It's past seven."

"Well..." Sam rolled over to see Carly better. "First there was the school day. Apparently, we were pressured to give out homework on the first day. I had to tell a bunch of half-dead kids, who are clearly getting up early for the first time in forever, that they had to find an animal that they would like to draw this week. I thought one of the benefits of being an art teacher was that I could be the cool one who _didn't_ hand out homework. What's next? Gym teachers asking you to take a lap at home?"

"The kids stayed that late?" Carly asked, in her usual concerned way which Sam appreciated.

"Nope." Sam groaned. "The faculty had a special meeting that took three hours. Why, you ask? Because everybody had a _stupid question_ to make the whole thing drag on, and on, and on."

Carly rubbed the blonde's head sympathetically, "Awwww. You hungry?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I ordered a pizza about twenty minutes ago, thinking you were gonna be late and want something..."

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

Carly jumped out of bed and grabbed her wallet. "There it is now."

Within a minute, the brunette returned triumphant with a large pie and some napkins.

"My hero!" Sam grinned widely.

The pair always ordered their pizza the same way: fully-loaded veggies with pepperoni (at Sam's request). Carly never cared for mushrooms when she was very little, which Spencer would torture her by getting them on pizza he didn't want his baby sister to touch. But she softened to the fungi over the years but likes it best on a pizza.

Now sitting up side-by-side on the bed, Carly was browsing with the remote.

"Anything good?" Sam asked.

"Not really," Carly shook her head. "Just some B movies and reality shows. You know, the usual."

Sam snuggled up closer to Carly, laying her head on her shoulder.

"I like this."

"What?" Carly asked.

Sam just scrunched up her face.

"Nothing."

* * *

Later that night, while Carly was sleeping, Sam had a hard time getting to bed herself.

She gazed over at the slumbering woman next to her and couldn't help but watch her face, trying to guess what she might be dreaming of.

Sam was so happy that Carly had become more comfortable with showing affection in public, like holding hands or a peck here and there. But this was very special to her, to have Carly in the same proverbial marriage bed as her. In all honesty, bad dreams have been less frequent since this new arrangement. Sam also preferred Carly's methods of waking her up in the morning than her lousy alarm clock.

She would whisper into Sam's ear whilst caressing her face, gently pulling her out of slumberland and back to reality. Hearing Carly's voice and feeling her touch was a terrific way to begin the day, in Sam's opinion.

Bored, tired and tired of being bored; Sam brought up her laptop. She to a website called FanScribe, which was a collection of fan fiction sent in by users all around the world. The stories weren't your usual TV and movie properties, either. YouTubers and other Internet personalities had a fair share of stories written about them.

So, that made Sam curious if there were any about the iCarly gang.

And oh, there was.

Apparently, the rabid fans they had encountered at Webicon were just the tip of the iceberg. There were Creddie stories and Seddie stories (which outnumbered any other ship). But there was another ship that Sam never considered back then. There were at least eighty stories (mostly short) about Cam, or the romantic pairing of Carly and Sam. Some of these were pretty well-written, like this user would have a future writing if they apply themselves. Then there are the horribly misspelled and plotless tripe.

And then, there was the smut.

Have you ever read a sex story starring you? It's fucking bananas, which is an understatement. Not to mention it featured a person very close to you. A good number of these fics were pretty imaginative with their boudoir settings and detailed physical encounters. Sam originally did this for shits and giggles but now can't help but read some of this stuff with great interest. She briefly toyed with the idea of messaging one of these authors and complimenting them on their story. Bet they would never anticipate a review coming from the source.

She could see it now:

 _Really enjoyed this story, one of the best. Hot and amazing! BTW my tits aren't that big - S  
_

Sam closed her laptop, shaking her head, thinking better of it.

She laid down, thinking about her and Carly becoming intimate and how that would come about. Sam had fleeting thoughts about Carly in that scenario but the stories she had read certainly made it a visceral reality in words. She wondered if she could ever get the guts to ask Carly about the subject. She'd been really cool lately and the last thing Sam wanted to do was scare her off.

 _"I don't know what to do,"_ she told herself.

Sam loved Carly deeply and was confident those feelings were mutual. And they were both adults and had their biological needs. But the rub was Carly had never been with a woman before, so that will definitely make her even more cautious. It was something to get used to, for sure, but holding hands and snuggling and kissing and talking; the same could be said for Carly and some guy.

But sex with another woman was a different animal entirely. The dynamic was different in practically every way. Sam took time to get used to it and (according to one of her ex's) slowly became good at it. Carly had a similar path ahead, so Sam reasoned to remain patient and if she truly loved her that she will cross that bridge when she is ready.

As Sam drifted off, she figured that a girl like Carly would be well worth the wait. That didn't stop her from escaping into a fantasy scene of her own.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Man it is so hot here on the East Coast, I'm melting.**

 **Please leave your comments; always love to hear them ;-)**

* * *

Carly and Sam went over to the adoption agency downtown. Going through the government system wasn't what they would have liked, but sadly the more church-based adoption services would not approve a same-sex couple.

Sam was usually nervous in any sort of officious-looking building. Reminded her too much of school. But, then again, she _did_ get married in a courtroom so good things must happen in these grey towers sometimes.

A woman about a couple years older than Carly and Sam greeted them with a handshake when they were called into her office. She had a friendly smile and judging from her desk and how her hair tied back with such symmetry; this lady clearly was very organized.

"I'm Anne," she said. "I will be your caseworker."

"Nice to meet you," Carly smiled nervously. "I'm Carly Shay and this is Sam Puckett."

"Still keeping your names I see?" she asked.

They exchanged glances.

"Taxes," Sam blurted out. "I hear that can be a nightmare sometimes. My mom changed her name on the form but didn't do it officially, so that jeopardized their state return."

Carly leaned in, holding Sam's hand, silently telling her to relax.

"We just want to avoid any headaches."

Anne leaned back and stretched her arms.

"That's very good, but you'll need to consider a last name for your child."

Carly folded her arms, looking down "Oh, I didn't think of that."

"I guess whatever name he or she has, I guess we will pick the last name that sounds best," Sam interjected.

The brunette glanced at her wife and smiled at how fast she can think on her feet.

"Flexible," Anne noted. "A fine quality in a parent. People have these ideals in their minds about children and child-rearing and they are the loftiest, most unrealistic slices of sugary sweet cake. I'm talking fantasies that would make a Hallmark card blush. The reality is that you will be tested physically, emotionally and mentally. Your sleep schedule, eating schedule, work - everything will have to revolve around your girl or boy."

Sam gripped Carly's hand tightly.

"As long as I have this one, nothing's impossible."

Carly thought she was going to cry but bit her lip and kept her composure.

"You two are adorable," Anne shook her head. "But that's the other factor. There have been couples that were blissfully happy until they had children. Some fell out of love, some divorced. I'm not saying that will be you necessarily, however your relationship - what you mean to each other - will be put to the ultimate test."

"How?" Carly asked.

"Well," Anne began while shuffling some papers. "You will have this life in your care and he or she will be the most important thing in the world. The pitfall that a lot of parents fall into is that while they put their care and attention into their kids, they tend to neglect one another. Let me give you a little backstory. My parents divorced not five years after my baby brother was born. It wasn't a clean break for them and I will leave it at that. I know from experience the strain that children can have on a marriage. I knew I wanted to grow up and be a person that helped other kids like me find a steady home, where they can have a real childhood and the love they need."

Carly understood now how this caseworker was more trying to talk them out of adoption. She needed to be sure that they were aware of what they were getting themselves into. Carly already rushed into one commitment this year, but this was different. She had wanted a child for a time and this was her last option.

Sam nodded, "I know all too well about divorce. But my mom did what she could."

"Certainly," said Anne.

She then picked up a file folder and took out a paper.

"I understand that, you Sam, are a teacher."

The blonde nodded, "Uh-huh."

"The kids love her from what I hear," Carly added.

"And you, Carly..." she flipped to another sheet. "I see you're working for GardenGreen. What is that?"

"A produce distributor," Carly replied. "Its exploding the last couple of years."

Anne's face fell, "Oh I see."

"What's wrong?" asked Sam.

"We have the _both_ of you working, so..."

Sam interrupted "But I'm off during the summer."

"I understand, Sam" Anne said. "But what do we do the rest of the year?" She turned to Carly. "Does your job offer daycare if your adopted child is not of school age yet?"

"No, I'm afraid" the brunette winced.

Anne put down her glasses and rubbed her chin.

"Do you have any relatives that can care for your child, I assume during the daytime?"

"Uh..." Carly felt herself crashing.

"My mom," Sam suggested. "Plus her older brother. And some close friends that go back fifteen years."

Anne focused back on Carly.

"I want to reassure you that this doesn't take you off the list by any means. I'm just trying to work out that in the event of the both of you being occupied that there is a care giving network of sorts at your disposal. People you can trust with something that important."

"Yes, yes" Carly nodded while linking her arm with Sam's. "A-Absolutely."

"Sorry for all the questions," Anne said. "But there will be plenty more to come. It's just that so many unwanted or abused kids are born regularly. And being a biological parent requires no exam or license or anything. You need permission to drive a car, sell certain goods or even rent an electric floor buffer. But anyone can have a child. So we try our best to match these poor kids to parents who are best suited. I'm just doing my job, ladies."

Sam swallowed a big gulp. She had a bad feeling about this.

"We understand," she said.

"Yes," Carly concurred.

"Okay," Anne sighed. "Now let me warn you right off the bat that this process will take a year at the minimum. There's paperwork, background checks, all kinds of things to look into. And that's before we even begin interviewing potential children."

Carly nodded "Right. That's why we wanted to lay down the groundwork."

"That's very good. Have you ladies give any thought into whether you would be thinking of a boy, or girl?"

Sam and Carly looked at each other, honestly never considering that query. Carly often envisioned herself holding a baby, soothing it and singing to it. The gender was always ambiguous. She knew the baby's room would be filled with bright colors and toys and stuffed animals. But in all truth, Carly was more focused on the bond between them.

"I guess it doesn't really matter," Sam suggested. "We will just have to see when the time comes."

Anne nodded.

"So what happens now?" Carly asked.

She handed Carly a stack of papers.

"You both need to fill out these forms together. Take your time; they will take a while."

Sam tilted her head, taking in just how thick the bunch of paperwork was. She mouthed the word "shit."

Anne explained "These cover everything from annual income, health history, its very involved so just prepare yourself."

"Okay," Carly sighed.

Anne then handed Sam a couple of business cards.

"This is my card. If you have any questions about the application process, feel free to ask me. Some parts of the form are not applicable to everyone, just so you know. And when you're all done and its answered to the best of your ability, just hand it in to me."

"Then what happens?" Sam asked, trying to look apologetic for the frankness of her question.

"I review every aspect of the application, whilst running a full background check on the both of you. A lot of times, people may get a detail wrong or may completely forget something. We have resources that help fill in any blanks, and of course makes sure that there was no fraudulent information."

A heaviness consumed Sam's chest but she did her best to maintain a poker face.

"Do you have any questions at all?" asked Anne.

Carly shook her head "No, I don't think at this time. Sam?"

Sam held the application in her hands like she was in a trance of some kind.

"Sam?" Carly pressed.

"No, nothing" Sam stood, which surprised Carly.

Anne stood and Carly followed suit.

"Okay, well it was really nice to meet you both," Anne offered her hand once again.

"Yes, thank you" said Carly, taking her hand.

Sam just quietly nodded and shook Anne's hand.

"You two take care," Anne said, sitting back down.

"You, too" Carly opened the door. "Bye."

Once outside the office and past the waiting room; Carly finally asked Sam what was up.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

The blonde had this daze in her eyes.

"I...I don't feel so good. Let's go home."

She began walking to the front door, leaving Carly standing there confused.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took a while, but I'm back now.**

 **BTW, anyone out there a fan of the movie _Zootopia_? I just got started reading this amazing fic called "In The Days That Followed" by ayziks. The story picks up right where the film leaves off and the author goes to so many interesting directions with this one; I'm floored. I didn't see any familiar faces in the comments, so I thought you guys might like to hear about this one.  
**

 **Okay, enough pimping other peoples' work - on with my stuff ;-)**

 **enjoy**

* * *

Sam was uncharacteristically somber and quiet the whole ride home. Carly drove and through her peripheral vision caught the fleeting glimpse of her wife and best friend lose all life in her face. She wasn't an idiot and she hated when people condescended her as such. Something was weighing on Sam and damned if she would open up about it.

"You gonna talk or what?" the brunette broke the silence.

Sam didn't answer. She just leaned her head against the closed passenger window, miles away.

"Sam!" Carly insisted.

"What?" she sighed in return.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you already?"

Sam rubbed her arms, classic defensive body language.

"I've just been thinking about the adoption thing. I'm just worried."

"Worried about what? The paperwork?"

"No," Sam sighed.

"Then what then?"

Sam sunk into her chair, putting her feet up on the dashboard.

"That whole thing the lady mentioned about the background checks for both of us."

Carly shook her head "So what are you afraid of..." her eyes widened. "oh..."

"Uh-huh."

"Well...um...you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

Carly's pep talk came out more like a question.

Sam gave her a look.

"What makes you say that?"

"You never made it worse than Juvy. That means every time you...uh...broke the law..."

"I never _broke the law_!" Sam protested, crossing her arms. "I just pulled pranks that happened to be felonies."

Carly smirked.

"The point is that you likely were always a minor when you ran afoul with the police. Or the fire department. Or the coast guard."

" _That_ was self-defense! I will fight you on that."

Stopping at a red light, Carly leaned over to her wife and smiled with clenched teeth.

"THE POINT IS...you were a minor all that time. You basically hung up all that crap when you were young."

Sam unfolded the makeup mirror in the visor and checked her face.

"Sorry," Carly chuckled. "Youn _ger_ "

Sam put up the visor and felt a little embarrassed over that weak moment of vanity.

"I'm no lawyer but what I do know is that if you were under 18 and didn't get convicted and sent to regular prison; then anything you did was expunged from your record."

"You think so?" Sam asked.

"Look at it this way; if you were a felon on the radar, don't you think getting a public school teaching job would've been difficult?"

Sam didn't think of that, honestly.

"Good point," she mused.

The light turned green and they were off. Just a few more blocks and they were home.

"So..." Carly began. "Feel better?"

"A little," Sam made a small smile.

Carly rubbed Sam's thigh. "How about now?"

Sam shivered as goosebumps sprang up all over her.

"Uh...keep doing that."

Carly smiled broadly, contented.

* * *

The pair returned to the apartment, mentally exhausted. They were craving for something to break up the boredom of that morning.

"So what did you feel like doing?" asked Carly.

"I dunno," Sam shrugged.

There was a lot to take in with this adoption process. Neither one of them was looking forward to filling out this Tolkien-sized application. They needed a break before beginning all of this stuff.

"Alright," Carly pointed. "I made a decision!"

"What?"

"We need a vacation."

Sam raised an eyebrow "Oh?"

Carly nodded "Yeah! I mean we haven't gone on a trip together since getting married, right? Don't couples go on trips?"

"Mmm," Sam folded her arms, laying on the couch. "It would be nice to get away for a while. Ever since going back to work, that's all we've been doing. And on the weekends, we sort of just sat around and did whatever because we were so beat."

"I love living here with you," Carly earnestly admitted. "But cabin fever is setting in, you know?"

Sam nodded.

"So, where to?"

Carly walked out of the room and came back with a globe that she held onto since grade school. She slammed the thing on the coffee table and sat beside Sam.

"Choose," said the brunette.

"Where?" Sam chuckled.

"Anywhere but here," Carly replied, taking Sam's hand into hers.

The blonde traced the globe with her fingers, making it turn slowly until she settled on the southern hemisphere.

"There!" she grinned.

"Really?" Carly asked. "New _Zealand_?"

Sam gave her a look "They say its beautiful over there and the people are friendly. And I've also heard that one in every five people work for Peter Jackson."

Carly guffawed at the (probably not) exaggerated claim.

"Yeah, but that's like 15 hours by plane."

Sam's eyes widened, "Oh. Then how about...Australia?"

Carly sighed "That's even longer!"

"Well, goddamn!" Sam threw up her hands. "Just take me out of the continental US!"

"Fine," Carly shook her head. Eyeing Seattle on the globe, she gazed westward and saw the familiar smattering of islands. "How about Hawaii?"

"I said out of the country," Sam pouted.

"You _said_ continental US. As you can see, we can't drive there."

"Have you ever been there?" Sam asked.

"No. Almost with dad but then mom got sick."

Sam nodded, "Oh."

"And you?"

"Me neither," Sam replied.

Carly opened up her laptop which was already situated on the coffee table (its usual spot when charging). She began Googling Hawaii while Sam snuggled beside her, chin planted on her shoulder. The brunette really loved it when she did that. She could tell this vacation would do wonders for them.

"Whoa," said Sam, taking in all of the gorgeous pictures. The sandy beaches, palm trees and blue waters was nothing alien to them being from the west coast. They've gone to the beach before. But this was different; it was all presented in a way that was astoundingly new. It looked pristine, paradise.

Her favorite pictures showed the sun setting, orange light making silhouettes of the trees and cliffs.

"This looks amazing," Carly said.

Sam pointed "Book it!"

* * *

Carly hadn't taken any vacation time really since she started this job. A sick day here and there but pretty much kept her nose at the grindstone. So she got a strange look from the office when she put in for her week off. The general vibe she got from her co-workers was that it was about time she treated herself to something fun and not be all business.

A couple of people gave her knowing looks that Hawaii can be a very romantic place. News of her marriage to Sam traveled eventually and they even had a little celebration in the conference room, congratulating her. Vicki, a woman who works with Carly a lot, remarked it was kind of neat how the lifelong friends and former co-stars on the Internet were now a bonafide couple.

Meanwhile, Sam arranged for substitute teacher Spencer Shay to handle her art class.

"This guy," she cheerily told her class. "Is the one who taught me everything I know. So now you know who to blame."

It was going to be an adjustment but Sam was confident that her students were going to love Spencer. He always made art fun and he learned over the years to not be so stiff in the instruction aspect. Carly was nervous because she remembered him teaching her and it not going over well. But Sam assured her that when he helped tutor her during college, he couldn't have been more patient and rewarding with what he knew.

Now that the ladies had their affairs in order, they were packed and on their way to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. They were at an advantage because going from the west coast to the nearest island meant they were not going to be laid over somewhere else before reaching their final destination. The boarding and other preliminaries before takeoff were all standard and uneventful. Carly was leafing through the Sky Mall magazine while Sam was still working on her Cinnabon.

The fuselage wasn't terribly small like some planes but it was still an enclosed space. Carly gripped Sam's hand tightly as they were about to take flight. Now she understood why spending the better part of a day in the air wasn't appealing to her wife.

"Hey," Sam smiled. "It will be okay."

Carly was still tense but returned the smile.

"I'm glad you're here with me."

"Then I'll never leave."

Carly blushed and turned her head, trying to hide how much she was grinning like a fool.

She had to admit; having Sam beside her made her feel like she could surmount any obstacle.

As the plane rolled and began picking up speed, Sam could feel Carly's hand gripping even tighter than before which she didn't think was possible. It wouldn't be long now until they departed from the earth. Suddenly, Sam had an idea and turned Carly's head to face her own and kissed her. They both closed their eyes, only hearing the sound of the engines whirring. Carly was a little less nervous; the sinking feeling of flying was now competing with Sam's lips and tongue. And losing.

Before she knew it, they were airborne. Once the plane was level, Sam broke the kiss, leaving a stunned Carly with quivering lips.

"Better?" Sam asked.

"Best. Kiss. Ever."

The blonde leaned in, touching foreheads with her love.

"Now you know how it feels every time you kiss _me_."

Now Carly's face was as red as the seats on the plane.

"I love you, Sam Puckett."

"And I love you, Carly Shay."

* * *

They landed in the mid afternoon and went straight to the hotel.

It was a ten-story white building overlooking the beach, where the waves were coming through with a vengeance. It certainly made the surfers happy. What initially hit Carly and Sam upon exiting the airport was the air. It wasn't your usual saltiness that came from being near the water. Neither one of them could put their finger on what it was but they decided that this was distinctly Hawaii.

They decided to properly unpack later and instead just change into their swimsuits and hit the sand.

Carly had on a black two piece that was very simple but hugged her body in the right ways, as far as Sam was concerned.

Speaking of Sam; she had on a dark green two piece with a special top that gave a little extra support. She remarked how she didn't need "the girls" to go rogue if a wave crashed on them.

They held hands while walking to the beach. They left their rings back in the room, locked in the wall safe. The last thing they needed was to lose them in the water. So, they had to rely on proximity to let others know that they were taken.

"I'm gonna have my work cut out with you," Carly mused.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Trying to keep boys _and_ girls away from my wifey."

Sam shook her head "Stop."

"What?" Carly chuckled. "Come one; you're blonde, beautiful, busty and have a cute butt."

She yawned and stretched "Yeah, I guess I _am_ the total package. But I hit the lottery myself, too."

Carly rolled her eyes "Sure."

"Seriously," Sam insisted. "You're cuter than hell."

The brunette just gave her a look. "Like what?"

"Like what?" Sam parroted. "Okay..." her eyes then settled on Carly's smile. "...there, right _there_!"

"What?" Carly asked.

"Your smile is the greatest thing ever. It accentuates your perfect cheeks. Every time you smile, I just want to grab them. It's kind of like the Joker."

Carly made a hurt look and punched Sam in the shoulder, albeit in a soft way. To this day, she is not a fighter by any means.

"Thanks a lot!"

"No, I meant it as a compliment" Sam backtracked. "Really."

"Oh, yes" Carly now folded her arms, standing in front of her wife. "Being compared to the clown prince of crime is soooo endearing."

Sam bit her lip, fully realizing her blunder. Pointing out somebody's laugh lines and prominent cheeks, even as a positive, is still a dangerous field full of landmines.

"I'm sorry," she nervously chuckled. "I only meant that when you smile, your whole face becomes dominated by that smile. You're the kind of happy face that can light up a room."

Carly pouted and bobbed her head.

"Okay, that's better."

Sam offered her hand to hold. Carly let her sweat for a couple seconds and happily took it.

* * *

They found a good spot on the sand and took in some sun. And after a while, when they had enough of the heat; they would run headlong to the azure waves. Then when they had their fill of splashing around and goofing on each other; Carly and Sam retreated back to the beach to dry and tan some more. And so the process repeats, as they've always done it.

A welcome change was their more than friendly dynamic between each other. Sam liked how Carly's hand felt when helping her with her sunblock. The brunette walked a fine line between rubbing with lotion and giving a back massage, which frustrated Sam to no end (in that good way).

As the sun set and more than half the tourists departed, Sam and Carly felt it time to leave the beach but was certain to return in the morning.

They walked a couple of miles beyond the resort, taking in the local color. There were performers, mostly musicians, and lots of things that smelled amazing to eat. After asking around, Sam caught wind of where they held authentic luaus. A number of these luaus geared toward ignorant tourists were homogenized and patronizing. You had to look for the real thing and the real natives were happy to lead people in the right direction. Unfortunately, they missed the last bus for that evening's festivities, so they made an arrangement to go tomorrow night with a surfer-looking guy named Kurt.

Feeling hungry, Carly spotted an outdoor cafe overlooking the island.

Everything smelled amazing; Sam spent the better part of fifteen minutes figuring out what she wanted to order. It didn't help that the entire menu was in local speak. She couldn't differentiate between "aku" or "tombo" or what. Their waitress smiled and kindly walked Sam through the selections and she settled on "ahi" which was a yellowfin tuna. It was simmered and served with grilled vegetables and a mango salsa.

Carly confidently ordered "tako." It wasn't until she completely finished her plate and remarked how delicious it was that Sam discovered she ordered octopus. Carly's eyes widened at the revelation. When the check came, Sam looked at it and smirked.

"I'll bet I know where the ink for that came from."

"Shut up!" said Carly.

* * *

They stuck around until it was well dark. It was a really lovely view and strains of the ukulele music with a lone female singer could be heard from a distance.

"This really was a good idea," Sam said, holding Carly's hand.

"Yeah, it was" she grinned in return.

Sam watched the moonlight dancing in the ripples of the ocean, thinking. Then she couldn't help but look at Carly.

"What?" Carly asked.

"Nothing," she replied. "Just in love is all."

"Awww."

The brunette pulled her in close and kissed her tenderly.

"Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Um...I think...uh..."

Sam smiled, playing with Carly's hair.

"Yes?"

"I think I'm ready."

"To get back to the hotel?"

Carly nodded.

"Okay," Sam sighed. "We can go; you're probably tired."

"I didn't say I was tired," Carly said.

The blonde looked at her wife confused. It was a warm smile and very seductive eyes that something clicked in her head.

"Oh," remarked Sam. "You're sure?"

Carly looked Sam up and down. She then took her hand and began walking with strong purpose.

"Yes!"

Sam knew better than to ask the woman twice and went with it.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here it is, what you've been waiting for.**

 **Read, enjoy and review! ;-)**

 **BTW - I also have a new _Zootopia_ story titled "Paw and Order" - if you haven't checked it out yet, please read and leave your comments  & tell me what you think. Little nervous because I'm stepping out of my wheelhouse here.**

* * *

They held hands all the way back to the hotel.

What surprised Sam was despite her own willingness, it was Carly who was practically dragging her. She could've stopped the brunette and reminded her that she was on board for the nocturnal activities she had in mind. But Sam hardly saw this side of Carly and was rather enjoying it, so she let it be.

Carly fumbled with the key card and failed at opening the door twice until in her excitement it was facing the wrong way. She turned it around, the little light turned green and they were inside, the blast of the air conditioning smacking them in the face like the waves from the beach earlier that day. It was hot out there but not oppressive due to the mild humidity, so the AC was comforting if not a bit chilling at first.

Sam shut the door (after hanging the don't disturb sign on the knob) and locked it with the deadbolt and chain to keep the hotel staff out. She didn't want a single interruption.

The blonde walked toward the bed, still looking back at the door and ignoring the eager woman sitting and waiting. Before her head completely turned forward, hands pulled her down on top of her wife. The two giggled as they kissed passionately. They made out for a good solid few minutes, rubbing their hands up and down their horizontal bodies. Then Sam broke the kiss, half because she needed to catch her breath and half she need to ask Carly:

"You're sure?"

She knew that uttering this would potentially have the whole thing come crashing down. But Carly propped herself on her elbows, looking up at Sam and smiled.

"I want you. You're not the only one with needs, you know. And last time I checked you're my wife."

Sam smirked, "I know that, Carls. What I meant was are you sure you're ready? I mean it's going to be...different."

"Is different fun?" Carly asked.

"Can be."

"Then show me."

Sam leaned down and kissed Carly again. She then journeyed south, leaving a trail of kisses down her midriff. The blonde then rested her head on Carly's stomach, ear pressed against her flesh making a perfect seal which enabled her to hear the faint sounds inside her.

"What are you _doing_?"

Sam titled her head slightly so she could make eye contact.

"Listening," she grinned.

"For what?" Carly asked.

"The butterflies. Wanted to see if I could hear them fluttering."

Carly shook her head "You're weird."

"And you're weirder for marrying me."

"Nice," Sam muttered. She looked at Carly's swimsuit bottom. "You're spoiling me by only wearing this little thing for our first time."

"Yeah, you'd have to be dealing jeans and pan-"

Sam stood up on her knees and pointed squarely at her wife.

"DON'T. SAY. THAT. WORD."

Carly brought in both lips, closing her mouth to suppress a hearty chuckle.

Once that was settled, Sam went back to work. She slid off Carly's bottoms and was almost taken aback by her first real glimpse of her kitty. And a shaved kitty at that. Sam entertained the thought that she went Brazilian for her sake. But she reasoned it was probably due to her usual overcompensation for hygiene.

Carly laid there nervous, hoping that Sam liked how she looked down there. She was 50/50 about it happening, so she was cautious and went for the all-inclusive bikini wax.

"Is everything okay?" Carly asked.

Sam didn't answer verbally. But her mouth _was_ involved. She kissed Carly's inner thighs, enjoying the feeling on emerging goosebumps on her lips. Sam knew that she couldn't just plunge right into things, so she worked her way up to it. Literally. Because where her legs ended, Sam was staring inches away from her wife's passion.

She had anticipated this moment for a while and cannot believe it is really happening right now. If this was a dream, it sure felt real enough.

Sam swallowed and sank her head into the warm confines of Carly's legs. She then started to lick her pussy while her left index finger gently rubbed on the inside. The blonde was no novice when it came to this game. She was damned near an expert.

And Carly figured that out almost immediately.

She was no stranger to the concept of oral sex or anything related to that. But the occasional guy she dated that would dare to attempt it was clearly unaware of what they were doing. Carly would lay there frustrated, even going so far as to give them direction. A pilot had a better time telling a passenger through the phone how to land a 747. One guy in college was at it for almost an hour and got absolutely nowhere. Him giving head was like one of those exercise bikes. A whole lot of energy but ultimately you don't go anywhere.

The brunette clutched her pillow like she was hanging off the edge of a cliff. It only took a matter of minutes for Sam to bring Carly to a "romantic peak" as she called it. It was the most intense experience of her life; it felt like five roller coasters on top of one another.

Carly laid there breathless, brushing back her hair with her trembling hand. Apparently, her long black locks was doing a lot of swinging during this particular session.

Sam emerged, grinning but a little winded herself. She wiped her mouth.

"Not bad huh?"

Carly's eyes went wide " _Not bad_? More like amazing."

Sam blushed, "I try."

"If that was a only try, I don't think I can handle the real thing."

"I take it you never had it like that before?"

The brunette shook her head, smiling through her gasping mouth.

"I guess they're right," Carly quipped. "Girls do that stuff better."

Sam shrugged, "Well if you need your car fixed, why asked for help from someone who has only known bicycles?"

The both of them cracked up laughing.

Carly stopped laughing first and just looked at Sam, twiddling with her sandy hair.

"What?"

"Nothing," Carly smiled. "Just finally hit me that this is kind of the honeymoon we never had."

The revelation hit Sam like a ton of bricks. It was all so obvious. Married couple on a romantic tropical vacation and they were consummating their love for the very first time.

"Damn," Sam mused. "You're right. I'm just sorry we never...you know...got together sooner."

"Well we were young, we didn't know what we wanted. Maybe it took both of us growing up to figure things out. I'm not gonna lie, it felt weird, really weird, at first. But the more time goes by, the more right it feels."

"In my experience, not everyone feels that way" Sam responded with a solemn expression. She was definitely harboring some bad memories. Carly was aware of some of the crap she endured shortly after coming out but she was sure that Sam didn't tell her everything.

Carly caressed her cheek "Those people don't matter. If two people being in love makes them angry, they don't have a function in this world."

Sam smiled a little but she still seemed somewhat sad. Kind of like how you're still haunted by a nightmare even after being awake for several minutes. Carly wanted to do something to take her wife's mind off of things.

"Let me up," she said.

Sam obliged, dropping to the side "You okay?"

Carly sat up, looking down at Sam. "I feel great, thanks to you. Now its _my_ turn to make _you_ feel good."

"What are you talking about?" Sam deadpanned.

Carly got onto her knees.

"Lay down," she ordered.

Sam hesitated and was about to object but Carly's determination in her eyes made her do as she was asked. For fear of hearing the damned word uttered, Sam quickly took off her bottoms. She draped her leg over the other, giving Carly a teasing glance of her what she had. Carly then pulled her top off when she realized she still had it on. She then playfully threw it at Sam.

Carly's nipples were standing at attention. So were Sam's and they were begging to be set free. The blonde undid the clasp behind her back and was able to take off her own top. Carly jumped on top of her and kissed her deeply.

Once the kiss broke, Carly caught her first real glimpse of Sam's breasts. They flattened a little due to Sam laying down but they still kept their somewhat roundness. Carly rocked Sam back and forth while straddling her. She enjoyed it very much because it made Sam's boobs jiggle like two perfect jello molds. Unable to contain herself much longer, Carly grabbed hold of them, feeling how smooth and soft they were in her hands. In her opinion, they were the most amazing things she had ever felt. Carly always wished to have tits like these.

In a way, she has them now.

"Daaayuuuum," she muttered. It was intended for herself only but Sam's ears picked up that reaction.

"They're all yours, beautiful" Sam grinned seductively. "You should come in for a closer look."

Carly didn't need to be asked twice and she dove right in between Sam's boobs, letting the quivering flesh envelop her. Her face was getting so engrossed that air supply was getting low. Carly's came back up, almost out of breath.

"Careful, people have died that way."

The brunette giggled as her hand was traveling down Sam's stomach toward her pelvis. Carly maintained "eye contact" with Sam's nipples as she slowly penetrated her wet pussy. Sam's sudden gasp made Carly smile to herself.

"How...did...you...?" Sam choked out between the air being thrown in and out of her lungs.

"What's the matter, sweetheart? You'd think by now I know what rubs you the wrong way, and what rubs you the _right_ way?"

Her two fingers went to work on Sam's clit on cue at the emphasis on "right."

And while this is all going on, Carly is sucking the ever loving hell out of Sam's left nipple and trying to also pay mind to the other with her free hand. The yoga classes really were paying off. Now Sam saw that those tight black pants weren't the only perk from Carly taking that course.

Carly had always been quite the multi-tasker.

This was only the beginning. Carly was going to go down on Sam in the near future but she will work up to it. Or down.

Carly worked Sam over for nearly ten minutes, just letting wave after wave of pleasure build up until Sam felt like she was going to collapse like a house of cards. All the blonde could say throughout this was just a barrage of "Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me." But soon she couldn't make it past the first syllable.

The blonde yelled and that was Carly's cue to release her from her warm, and surprisingly knowledgeable, clutches.

Sam's cup runneth over and she dragged Carly down to her level and kissed her like she was trying to come through her skull to the other side.

"Fuck," she sighed. "Where..." she had to catch her breath. "...oh god...where did _THAT_ come from?"

Carly shrugged her shoulders, pretending it was no big deal which she knew would drive Sam loco.

"I dunno. A combination of medical websites, lesbian chat rooms and Internet porn."

That almost sobered Sam up.

"You watch porn now? _You?_ "

Carly grinned. "A little bit. I saw one the other night where this girl half my size was making out and fooling around with a 600 lb. girl. And _she_ was on the bottom."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look," Carly playfully shoved her shoulder. "It was mostly the curiosity."

" _Mostly?_ "

Carly's eyes darted around like she was being interrogated.

Sam frowned and looked down at her thin frame.

"Gee, I hope I'm enough woman for you."

"Stop it!" Carly chuckled, hugging her love tightly.

Sam kissed her forehead.

"I will say that your sexual education really was effective."

Carly beamed at the admission.

"But your kissing is just okay," Sam added to rib her.

An over the top shocked Carly sat up.

"Sam Puckett! Why I never!"

"You know what'll make you better at anything?" Sam asked.

"What?"

Sam grinned "Practice."

A devilish smile formed on Carly's lips and she went back to her spot, on top of her gorgeous wife.

Carly was determined to make Sam breathless once again.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm back! Now its back to the ol' routine. But things should be getting better as the place will get empty during the day, making it quiet so I can write.**

 **Fingers crossed!**

 **Enough rambling, here's chapter 14.**

* * *

Carly and Sam returned to Seattle from their Hawaiian Honeymoon completely invigorated. It was everything they needed and more.

After spending a week there; the ladies arrived back home on Saturday which gave them plenty of time to unpack, do laundry and just relax before they both had to go back to work on Monday. Feeling a little jet lagged on the homecoming flight, Sam crashed on the couch and almost went right to sleep. Carly smiled at her, stroking her blonde locks.

"I love you Sam Puckett," she declared out loud. A sawing sound from Sam's nose was her response. "...despite your snoring."

Carly made way to the kitchen table where she laid down the mail that has accumulated in their absence. Next to the pile was the adoption form. She sighed and thumbed through the massive document.

"I guess now or never," the brunette sighed before sitting herself down and reaching for a pen from the little wicker basket in the middle of the table. She yawned as she grabbed the pile of papers too thick to be stapled. "Page one..."

About two hours later, a familiar yawning emanated from the living room and a woman with mused blonde hair came trudging in. Sam looked down to see what Carly was doing.

"You feel better?" Carly asked.

Sam covered her mouth to yawn, still semi tired.

"Little bit" Sam replied. "Need a hand with this?"

She shook her head. "Nope. You go and rest. There's ibuprofen if you've got a headache."

Sam just wordlessly grabbed a chair next to Carly and sat down.

"What?" asked Carly.

"I figured with my help we can get through this damn thing faster."

Carly insisted "No, babe. _You_ sleep and I can handle this. Any questions about you that I can't answer I'll leave blank until later."

Sam rolled her beautiful eyes.

"Carls, I can take a nap if I feel really sick but what I _need_ right now is a full night's sleep."

"Then GO!" Carly pressed.

Sam put her hay-colored hair in her hands. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because..." she then cursed under her breath. "Because I can't sleep without you, okay?"

Carly didn't know if she was going to blush or giggle so she went with a happy medium.

"Awwww," she cooed, holding Sam's hand. "Am I like your teddy bear?"

Sam rested her head on her arm, looking up at her wife.

"More of a pink bunny holding a toothbrush. But I like your idea too."

"Well, yay!" she declared before leaning down to kiss Sam.

"Okay," Sam sighed. sitting straight. "Let's do this."

* * *

The adoption form was the longest _thing_ they've ever encountered. Sam remarked that she never saw something with so many pages that didn't have a publisher listed in the beginning. It was meticulous in its detail; asking anything from annual income, medical history, and other things of interest.

Fortunately, for their sake, the document was strictly formal when it came to Carly and Sam's relationship. They just had to write how many years they knew each other and how them moving in together was relatively recent with the marriage. All of these factoids were 100% accurate and for all their caseworker knew, they were courting during those years of friendship. To an outsider, that may seem obtuse or fraudulent. But Sam reasoned that they loved each other for a very long time and were everything to one another except romantically involved.

In all honesty, neither one of them had a single relationship that lasted longer than their own. Even their friendship with Freddie doesn't go as far back.

Once it was all filled out to the best of their ability, Spencer took a gander at it to give his week's education in law to constructive use. After he began zoning out on page 11, the women decided it was fine and handed it over downtown to Anne at the agency. It felt like such a weight being lifted off of their shoulders, it was almost as serene as when they were in Hawaii. Almost.

* * *

Time passed and fall was becoming winter faster than you could see. It didn't help that the decorations for Christmas were up the day after Halloween.

Carly was trolling the mall, trying to hunt down something special for Sam, this being their very first Christmas together as wife and...well, wife. She had told Sam that she had some emergency work stuff popping up and that meant she wouldn't be home until much later that night. This gave Carly the perfect excuse to cruise the stores by herself without peaking Puckett around.

Meanwhile...

Sam had a half day so was stuck at home alone for several hours. Her and Carly was supposed to do the holiday decorating tomorrow but the blonde was so bored that she dragged the brown box from the back of the closet and went to work. She opened up the artificial tree they had bought a while ago and had used for quite some time. When Sam discovered her twin sister had an allergy to pine needles, she just got used to putting up artificial trees for Christmas.

The tree was in three sections and assembled easily, standing about six feet with the stand. The part that annoyed Sam to no end was unfurling every single leaf so they stick out. Her hands were getting irritated by the plastic prickles. She vowed that with all the trouble putting this tree up, Sam was determined to keep it standing at least a month after New Years.

It was when she was more than halfway through sprucing up the spruce that her cell rang.

Sam happily walked away from the tree to see who was calling. Her eyes widened when the ID came up as Anne. She answered it.

"H-Hello?"

"Yes, hi, is this Samantha?" Anne asked.

She cleared her throat. "Just Sam. How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine. Is Carly around? I tried calling her but it didn't go through; she might be in a bad spot."

Sam chuckled "She's at work. Normally she doesn't answer right away unless there's a meeting or she's in an elevator."

She was just making conversation and giving Anne a reason for Carly not picking up. She didn't want to be rude or give her any reason to doubt Carly's access in the case of a real emergency.

"Is this a bad time?" Anne queried.

"No, no, no, no!" Sam sputtered like a machine gun. "Not at all."

"Well, I just wanted to give you two a call and tell you that your application had been processed. Now let me advise you both that the actual adoption process will take some time. You've got availability and doctor visits, then you have the cases when its an unwanted birth and the waiting around for that."

"Um," Sam stood stiff. "You probably wouldn't be telling me this unless..."

"Yes," Anne cheerily said. "You and Carly, from what I've seen from your application and talking with all of your references and that visit last month to evaluate your home; both seem like prime candidates for adoption. Personally, you ladies seem very lovely and responsible and caring to one another. And now the legal details corroborate your credentials. You're going to make a boy or girl very happy."

Sam was smiling so broadly and was excited to the point that she almost dropped her phone. She couldn't wait to see Carly's reaction.

"Anne, is there something I could get in writing for..."

"Well, naturally" Anne replied. "I was preparing to mail this to you but I like the direct approach when telling potential parents the good news."

The caseworker really did revel in moments like this. Her work can be dry and impersonal sometimes but its worth it when she tells a couple that they've been approved or even better, telling a young child they have a home.

"Listen, how long are you going to be there?"

"Um...about another hour. Why?"

Sam scrambled for her shoes and car keys.

"Would you mind if I picked up the letter in person instead of you mailing it."

"I suppose," Anne replied. "I admire your enthusiasm. I cannot imagine your wife's reaction."

Sam bit her lip "Me either. I'll be there soon. Goodbye and thanks again. So much!"

The blonde squealed with delight as she bounded out the door.

* * *

Christmas Eve.

They had a wonderful dinner with family and close friends. Everybody complimented on the nice decorations. Carly politely thanked them but reminded every one that Sam did the bulk of it. With the candles and bows and garland and lights; it was festive but not garish.

Once everybody left, Sam took Carly's face in her hands and gave her an unbroken kiss that lasted almost a minute. If that doesn't sound long to you, try holding your breath for 60 seconds.

"Wow," the brunette responded, flushed. "Where did _that_ come from?"

"Mamma wanted to kiss her sweetheart all freaking night."

Carly gave Sam a wry grin, resting her arms around her neck.

"Know what time it is now?"

Sam blushed "I can guess."

"Presents!" exclaimed Carly as she ran to the coat closet.

"I guessed wrong," Sam sighed as she is left standing there.

Carly comes back with a big wrapped box. Sam could tell by her face that it had some weight to it. She sat on the couch, gift on lap.

"Come here," she smiled.

Sam smirked and held up her finger.

"Hang on, Carls. I've got something for you, too."

Carly made a face while her wife left and came back with a small bag.

"What's that?" Carly asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know," teased Sam as she sat beside her. She then handed the bag over to Carly. "You first."

Carly placed the present on the coffee table and took the bag.

"What'd you do?" chuckled the brunette as she rifled through it.

Sam braced herself for her reaction. Carly let out an audible gasp.

"You like it?"

Carly pulled out a Kindle fire, dressed in a dark red case.

"I _love_ it!"

"And now when a new book comes out, you can download the digital version and read."

She smiled and kissed Sam, "Thank you, baby. Now you."

Sam snatched the box, letting it overshadow her lap.

"Gimme! Gimme!"

The blonde tore through the paper and her eyes widened.

"No way!"

Sam was now the proud owner of Blu-ray player / surround sound system combo. Carly remembered Sam checking out that stuff in the electronics stores.

"It also comes with a movie!" added Carly who handed Sam a _Wizard of Oz_ Blu-ray.

"Oh god," laughed Sam.

"Your favorite movie still, right?"

Sam squinted her eyes "Don't you dare tell anyone. If anyone asks, this is _yours_."

Carly winked.

The radio had been tuned into holiday music all day for ambience. It was at this point that the stations were getting a little more varied. Right now, Peter Gabriel's cover of "The Book of Love" came on.

"I think Santa has something else for you," mentioned Sam.

"What?"

Sam dug through the magazine rack by the couch and pulled out the hidden envelope.

"This," she replied handing it to Carly.

The brunette was bemused by the packet and carefully opened it. She pulled out the letter and blinked rapidly. Sam sat in utter suspense as Carly silently read the paper, her eyes darting back and forth.

Carly let the letter fall to the floor, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. She slowly turned to Sam, who was also on the verge of tears. Carly's happy tears were the most infectious thing; Sam found it impossible to not at least get blurred vision.

Sam intertwined her fingers in Carly's.

"We did it."

"We did it!" cried Carly who hugged Sam so tightly.

"I love you so much," Sam whispered in her ear.

Carly's grip tightened.

"I love you too," she sniffed. "Best Christmas Ever."

Sam kissed Carly's neck. "Best wife ever."

"I think that's you" Carly sighed, wiping her tears.

Several more minutes of gentle touches and warm kisses later, the two retreated to their bedroom to celebrate. For Carly and Sam, Christmas morning would be very late this year.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Now, here is the part in the story everyone's been waiting for. We begin the adoption process. This jumps ahead a couple of months from Christmas.**

 **Enjoy and please review ;-)**

* * *

It felt like an eternity since Carly and Sam first met with Anne and were given their application. It was hard to believe that they were finally at this point in the adoption process.

They had interviews with a few kids here and there; most of them seemed nice. The one child that came the closest to going home with the couple was a precocious little girl named Bethany. She was all smiles and loved horses and anything purple. Things looked pretty good but out of nowhere, a family member came forward and sought to take her to live with her. Legally speaking, a legal guardian or blood relative has precedent over adoptive parents. Had the process already gone down beforehand, it would have been a different story, but since nothing was signed yet; Bethany was still legally tethered to her biological family.

That made Carly sad for several days and Sam would lie if she said she wasn't also disappointed. She comforted her wife, promising her that the time would come for them.

Things did turn around at the tail end of the winter when a call from Anne informed Carly that there was a boy named Jason Hill at one of the newer facilities. He had been there for a couple of years; parents for a long while were interested in babies. That was the sad truth of adoption; the older a child gets, the more difficult it gets to find a family.

Sam and Carly jumped at the chance to see the child. Anne arranged for them to meet with him on Friday afternoon at the shelter. They would meet with a woman named Lacey, who ran the place, and she would bring them to see Jason.

Friday came and they arrived at 2:00 sharp.

"Can you believe this?" Carly whispered excitedly to her wife.

"Just play it cool, Carls" Sam tugged at her arm as if to keep her from flying away. "Let's hold off our excitement until the ink dries."

The brunette controlled her breathing, holding Sam's warm hand.

"Okay, okay, okay; you're right. I won't get my hopes up this time."

"Promise?" Sam pointed like the school teacher she was.

"Promise," Carly held up her right hand.

A thin woman in a pony tail made a B line right for the couple and smiled.

"Hello, I'm Lacey. Are you Carly and Sam?"

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"It's really great of you to come down here," she sighed. "There's so many good kids out there that are a little older who really need a home and I just appreciate you coming down here."

Carly smiled brightly. "We're just thankful for the opportunity. We really want this."

Sam put her arm around her proudly. "Carly would make a terrific mom. Be a shame to waste her."

Carly visibly blushed at the sentiment. Lacey shook her head, thinking it was the most precious sight in the world. She honestly hopes it works out for them almost as much as they do.

"Right this way," Lacey gestured and the ladies followed. "This place is fairly new, so much so that we're still actively adding children to the usual databases; police, Child Protective Services, etc. Naturally, we want a tangible record of every girl and boy we harbor just in case somebody goes missing or there's abuse."

"Oh," Carly said sadly. She hated talk of such things, unable to fathom the mistreatment of kids.

"It's a shame that some people out there are against couples like you, but I say look at the facts. How many gay couples have unwanted pregnancies? Zero last time I looked."

Sam chuckled at that as she looked around. She practically bumped into Carly when she suddenly stopped at a door.

"He's right in here" Lacey said. "You ready?"

Carly and Sam made nervous faces but nodded anyway.

The door opened. The room was somewhat bare. A couple of tables and half a dozen chairs. At one end is a short bookcase with some reading material while the opposite end just had a radiator.

"Jason?"

The brown-haired boy looked up from his coloring book. He smiled at the familiar face but his eyes immediately took notice of the new faces.

"Hi," he replied in a meek voice.

"I have two very nice people that would like to meet you. Do you feel like talking to them?"

Jason just shrugged.

Lacey nodded and told the couple "I'll leave you ladies to it. I'll be back soon."

"Thank you," Sam said.

Once the door closed, Carly and Sam gingerly made their way down onto these chairs that clearly were not made for a grown up.

"Hi, Jason" Carly softly smiled at the boy. "I'm Carly. And this is Sam."

He looked over to the blonde, who nodded in confirmation.

"What'cha drawing?" Sam queried.

Jason held up a pretty good picture of a long-necked dinosaur with a big tail.

"It's a brontosaurus."

Sam held out her hand, gesturing for Jason to hand her the drawing which was colored in nicely with green crayon.

"This is really good," she smiled.

"Really?"

Carly nodded, "You know, Sam here is an art teacher."

"You're very talented," Sam commented.

Jason looked down, hiding a smile.

"I like dinosaurs," he said.

Sam leaned in, handing the drawing back. "They're really cool, aren't they?"

"Ever been to the museum?" Carly asked. "They've got a big dinosaur exhibit. I think I heard they just got a complete T-Rex skeleton."

His eyes grew as big as saucers.

"Whoa," he breathed.

The three continued to talk about different things, mostly centering around Jason's interests. Apart from dinosaurs, he also liked space rockets and big trucks; he was a typical boy. After a while, they were just coloring together. Sam guided Jason and Carly through a small impromptu art lesson. In the end, Jason's bunny outshone Carly's. It was her brother Spencer all over again.

Their hearty laughter from the fun they were having was interrupted by Lacey and a redheaded teenage girl in tow.

"Having fun?" she asked the trio.

Sam and Carly smiled fondly at one another but were quickly thrown when Jason rose up and ran toward the teen and hugged her legs tightly.

"Katie!"

The child collided with the girl so relentlessly, she looked as if she was going to fall over. She righted herself, looked down at the boy and smiled.

"You being good, squirt?"

"Uh-huh," he said, winded. "Carly and Sam were really nice. They want to take me to the museum to see the dinosaurs."

The teenager regarded the pair with, for lack of a better term, contempt. She took the tyke in hand and they leisurely walked away. As their voices faded, Jason could be heard asking the girl how school was today.

Sam looked at Lacey confused.

"Who was she?"

Lacey looked back and sighed.

"That was Jason's big sister, Katie. Those two are so close."

Carly chimed in "She didn't seem to happy to see us."

"I know. And I can't exactly blame her. Unfortunately, its a thing that happens quite often. You figure that losing your parents was enough but there is actually more opportunity for heartache."

Carly and Sam exchanged glances.

* * *

Sam entered the basketball court on the upper level of the shelter. It was a spacious enough recreational area. There were a couple of kids playing but Sam's focus was on the teen girl on the sidelines, leaning against the window. She was watching her baby brother shoot baskets.

Katie quickly noticed Sam when she got next to her and huffed loudly.

"What do _you_ want?"

"Thought maybe you might feel like talking," Sam said.

She raised an eyebrow "Why?"

The blonde folded her arms, also watching Jason play.

"You go to school?" Sam asked.

Katie just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Try to."

"They give you a lot of homework?"

Katie sighed "Enough."

Jason nailed a shot that was almost at the foul line. He grinned widely at his feat and glanced back at his audience to make sure they were watching. Katie smiled back and gave him the thumbs up sign while Sam nodded approvingly.

"That's one talented kid," Sam remarked. "He likes playing ball a lot?"

Katie looked at Sam, trying to read this woman. She appeared to be earnest, yet nothing about her came off as naive.

"He does, but the older kids mess with him when he tries to play out here because he's little. So he only shoots hoops in the afternoon when I come back from school. Nobody dares to fuck with my brother when I'm around."

Sam folded her arms, smirking. She really admired that.

"So you hang out with your brother after school..."

"And morning," Katie interrupted. "I...also help him in the morning. Before I go."

The blonde shrugged "When do you make time for all that homework?"

Katie watched Jason chase after the basketball after it went rogue and began rolling away.

"Like eight or something. After he's asleep."

Sam studied the teen's eyes very carefully.

"You look tired," she observed.

"Yeah, well, I may be his big sister but given the circumstances I need to be more, you know?"

Sam nodded gravely.

"How long?"

Katie blinked, confused "What?"

"When did you lose your folks?"

At first, the girl was set to attack the relative stranger for unearthing such a sore subject but, once again, this Sam chick was not giving off any off-putting vibes. She was genuinely concerned.

Sam immediately regretted the question and tried to backpedal "I'm sorry if..."

"Three years ago, almost" Katie quickly blurted out. "It was a car accident. Mom was driving because dad worked a double shift and was getting tired. They stopped for gas back in...I think it was...Aberdeen," she nodded. "They called us there and told us to make sure we got to bed on time; they would be back late. Woke up the next morning and they weren't there when we came downstairs. Then sometime after making ourselves breakfast, a cop came to our door to give the news."

The older female tried to imagine what a scary feeling it must have been to suddenly wake up and to have your parents gone.

"The report says that a truck spilled some shit on the road to make it slick. Rain didn't help either. Mom never drove above the speed limit but once it hit that part in the road, the cops said, there was no way to keep control. Wasn't until I saw an article in the local paper did I see the picture of our car wrapped around a tree. Completely totaled. They must have been scared when it happened, but I hope that they didn't suffer."

Sam out her hand in a comforting manner on Katie's shoulder. She was thankful that the girl didn't flinch.

"They were probably more scared for you then they were for themselves."

"Yeah," Katie choked out, a fresh tear streaming down her left cheek.

"I don't mean to pry but why did you end up here?" Sam then asked. "Were there any relatives?"

Katie's eyes suddenly narrowed and her body tensed up. Sam knew from experience that the girl was going from sadness to anger.

"No. Apparently, when mom and dad got together it alienated both of their families. They were set against it because they didn't want to raise their kids in a religious household. I don't know if they were atheist or agnostic but we never went to church or anything. They were nice to everyone. so it didn't matter. But they didn't think so."

"I kind of have a love/hate relationship with the church..." Sam gazed down at her wedding ring. "...for obvious reasons."

Katie looked at where Sam's hands were and replied "That's fair."

The two stood there silently. But Katie had to say something.

"Look, I know why you're here. You seem nice and your wife is probably cool. But you must understand why I can't be happy with you two taking my brother away. I'm the only family he has left."

"It's not..."

"NO!" snapped Katie. "He's going away to live with someone else and that's it. I mean I know its what's best for him but I don't have to like it. And I sure as hell don't have to like **_you_**. Now if you'll excuse me, since its only a matter of time, let me spend what little time I have left with Jason."

The girl walked over to her baby brother and took him by the hand.

"Come on, little man" she said even-tempered but was clearly still upset. "We're going."

Sam stood there, knowing better than to chase after her. Katie needed to blow off steam.

And she had to talk with Carly.

* * *

A knock at the door made Lacey look up from her cluttered desk.

"Yes?" she addressed the slightly ajar door.

It opened slowly and revealed Sam and Carly.

"Oh, I thought you already left." she said.

"Can we talk about something?" Carly asked.

Lacey's face fell.

"Is there a problem with Jason?"

"No, not at all" Carly said, closing the door behind them. "We like Jason, really."

The woman put her paperwork down. "Then what's the matter?"

"Its about his sister, Katie" Sam replied.

"Yes?" Lacey pressed.

Sam put her hands down on the desk.

"We want to adopt her, too."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, leave it to these two to make an important decision even bigger. What do you think? Stay tuned. I'll try my best to make the update not take too long.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Big tropical storm tearing its way up the east coast. My fellow eastern residents, please stay safe out there and report back to us if and when you are able.**

 **Really been excited to write these next few chapters and you'll see why very soon.**

 **Cheers**

 **;-)**

* * *

"Are you two sure you want to do this?"

Carly and Sam gave one another a long look.

"We do," Carly replied.

Lacey leaned back in her chair, sighing.

"I commend you both for wanting to take on both Jason and Katie, but I can't approve of that here. You will have to be re-evaluated by Anne, your caseworker."

"But why?" Sam asked, perplexed.

"It's just that...this is more than one child we are talking about here. Initially that was the plan. That _will_ come up."

Carly looked worried.

"Look I like you, both of you, and the last thing I want to do is to give you any roadblocks in what you are trying to do. But in order to do this, you must meet with the state's approval."

Sam quickly looked at Carly.

"Okay, let's go."

The brunette looked back and said benignly but sternly, "We will be back."

"Good luck," Lacey gave an earnest smile, holding her hands together.

* * *

Anne looked up at the couple, surprised.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting this."

"Neither did we," Carly admitted as they sat down. "We met with Jason and he's a good kid."

"So is Katie," Sam added. Carly nodded in agreement. "And with everything that's happened to them, they should stay together."

"We will do whatever it takes," Carly said. "They deserve something good to happen to them. They deserve a home."

The woman took off her glasses and proceeded to clean them with a soft cloth she kept to the side for this purpose. It was a bit of a nervous habit when she was in serious thought.

"You see Anne," Sam began. "I have a sister. Carly's got a brother. We understand it. The last thing we want to do is to have them split up. Plus, Katie's going to be eighteen in only what, a couple of years, then what? She ends up on the streets? I've asked around the shelter, that girl's priority is her baby brother and with what energy she has left, she hits those books. If you could just see her face, she's so tired. I felt for her so much."

Carly took the reigns when she saw that Sam was visibly on the verge of tears. It was refreshing that she was growing to want this as much as she did.

"Since their parents died, Katie feels that taking care of her brother is her job. But it shouldn't be. She should only have to worry about her studies and hanging out with friends and just being a kid. Katie has the whole rest of her life to be an adult; it's not fair to let her continue like this. And Sam made a good point. At her age, she will not be adopted statistically but her brother has a very good chance. But I bet you no other couple is willing to take them both."

Anne was so moved by their words, she didn't know what to say.

"You really want this?" Anne asked.

"Whatever it takes," Sam said. She took Carly's hand in her won and squeezed tightly.

"Originally, we were looking into a single, possibly young, child for you two. And what was presented to me looked very good in your favor. However, with two children and at vastly different age groups, your current living conditions are insufficient. Your apartment is nice, but I'm afraid the state wouldn't agree that it was enough space for a family of four."

"If we got a bigger place, then can we get approved?" Carly asked.

"Please," Sam quietly pleaded.

"You certainly would take care of that one big problem. But where will you find a place on such short notice?"

Carly and Sam locked eyes and both had the exact same thought.

* * *

Spencer was snoring loudly, so much so that he didn't hear the door creaking open and his younger sister coming in. He woke up, eyes snapping open, when he felt a big weight on his back. At first he was panicked until he saw the sight of his sister's face.

 _ **"Spencer!"**_

"WHAT!? WHAT!?"

"Listen to me, you need to get up. Sam's here too. Call Socko and anyone else you can get, get them all here pronto."

"Why? What's going on?" asked the older Shay, still half asleep.

"A lady from the adoption agency will be coming tomorrow to inspect this apartment and we need to get it clean and presentable right now."

Carly jumped off her brother's back and bounded to the bedroom door.

"Why is this woman coming again?" asked Spencer, rolling onto his back and leaning his head up to see Carly.

"Sam and I need a bigger place so we're taking yours."

Spencer sat up, now more aware but no less confused.

"Hold on, you're living here?"

Carly nodded quickly, "Yup."

"Where am I supposed to live?"

"You can have my old place."

The long-haired man shook his head, trying his best to take all this in. A second ago, he was in dreamland and now he's hearing all this business about cleaning the apartment only to get his shit and leave.

"Will somebody please tell me what's going on?" Spencer asked.

"No time to explain," Carly said as she started to leave. "Need to get started."

"Why do you have to live here?" shouted Spencer from the bedroom. "I'm so confused by this!"

Sam shouted in reply, "Because otherwise we can't get Jason and Katie!"

He sat there.

 _ **"Who's Jason and Katie?!"**_

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

Sam stood at the top of the stairs of the third floor of the apartment.

"There you are!"

Sam turned and smiled to see Carly running up behind her.

"How're we looking?" she asked.

Carly nodded, "Good. The downstairs is looking really good so far. Apparently, Sock's cousin is addicted to real estate reality shows so she's instructing the boys where to put everything."

"Nice," said Sam.

The pair looked at the door leading to the old _iCarly_ studio.

"There it is," Carly said, her hand hesitating to turn the knob.

"On three," Sam said.

"One...Two...Three..."

The windowed door swung open to total silence. With the exception of a handful of Spencer's more recent sculptures, it was more or less preserved as it was in the heyday of the popular web show.

"Whoa," Sam said.

"What the hell were we thinking?" Carly chuckled. "Its like we had one of those mixed grill restaurants decorate this room."

Indeed, the studio was a mishmash of conflicting garish styles. A newcomer's eye immediately goes to the front portion of a car re-purposed into a loveseat of some kind. Then you wander about the room and really take the rest of it in. There was a traffic light, neon signs, fuzzy dice and a whole litany of curiosities hanging on the walls.

"I loved this room but I would be lying if I said this room wasn't really weird."

Carly looked at her wife shaking her head "Probably why you liked it so much."

"Probably why I love you so much," Sam shot back.

"Oh, burn!" Carly said before sticking her tongue out.

"Aw, man" Sam's jaw dropped and before Carly could say anything, the blonde darted across the room to a makeshift shelving system made from large black milk crates.

"What did you see?"

"This!"

Sam grinned widely, holding up the oddly familiar blue remote control.

Carly's eyes widened. "Is that...?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded. She pressed one of the buttons but nothing happened. "Shit."

"What's wrong?"

Sam turned the remote over and frowned.

"Needs batteries."

"Sorry," Carly nudged Sam's arm. "Cool to see if that thing still works."

Sam nodded.

"Hard to believe that we haven't been up here together since high school. To think, we stopped this show almost 18 years ago."

"Fuck, I feel old" the blonde lamented.

Carly brought in Sam close and kissed her.

"What was that for?"

"I dunno," Carly shrugged. "Didn't seem right that you kissed Freddie up here...I kissed Freddie up here..."

"We were deeply troubled in our youth," Sam interrupted.

Carly smirked. "BUT... _we_ never kissed each other in here before."

"Oh I see," Sam held her wife's soft hand.

"We should really get started in here," Carly sighed.

"I know," Sam frowned. "Five more minutes."

"Deal."

* * *

The next day came and Anne visited apartment 8-C at Bushwell Plaza.

She was genuinely impressed by the size of the residence. Carly mentioned that the two established bedrooms would be for Katie and Jason while they would convert the third level to a master bedroom.

So far, the "home study" was going very well. Naturally, there being more apartment here, the process took a little longer. Since Anne was already familiar with Carly and Sam, the questions during the inspection were minimal. At this point, they've done their homework. They don't drink, so there was no alcohol at all to keep locked away. Medicine was stored in the bathroom cabinet and securely shut. All smoke detectors were recently tested and in working order.

Everything was looking safe and well-ordered, very appropriate for children to live here. Only one thing made Anne raise an eyebrow more because of its strangeness.

"Is that a hammer in the wall?"

The two women's faces went white at the tool jutting out of the wall from when Spencer accidentally made it fly into it many years ago.

"Oh, yeah, that" chuckled Sam nervously.

"It's really in there," Carly quickly said. "Can't get it out."

Anne squinted as she checked out the odd sight. She felt the wooden handle of the hammer and briefly tried pulling and pushing before giving up.

"That's what I call stuck," she sighed. "How did this get here?"

"We don't know," the couple shrugged in unison.

At the end came the most nerve-racking part. Anne began her long process of paperwork while Sam and Carly waited in anticipation.

"How did we do?" Carly asked.

Anne looked once more around the main room and turned her attention back to the couple.

"I'm sorry..."

Carly's face fell and Sam was ready to hold her to comfort her.

"...but you've got your work cut out for you."

"What?"

"Moving all that stuff into here is going to take some time."

Sam squeezed Carly's hand.

"Are you saying...?"

"Let us start the adoption paperwork tomorrow. Give yourselves some time to move and then we can bring the kids along. We hope to see you very soon to inform them of the good news."

Carly felt like she was going to burst, her heart pounding like a jackhammer.

"Thank you so much," Sam said, shaking Anne's hand. "Carly?"

The brunette snapped out of her standing coma and hugged the caseworker tightly like she was filled with candy.

"We're so happy! Thank you," she sobbed.

Anne have seen her share of strong reactions but was caught off guard by this.

"You're very welcome. It's a shame there aren't more like you two out there. Make my job a whole lot easier."

The blonde beamed as she pried her wife from the poor woman trying to leave.

"I'll leave you ladies to it, have a great day."

"You too!" smiled Sam as she shut the door.

Carly and Sam jumped into each others arms and bounced around, excitedly.

"We did it!"

"This calls for a celebration!" Sam quipped, holding the blue remote.

 _ **RANDOM DANCING!**_

The women laughed heartily and began moving and shaking around the apartment like they were kids again.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Man, it's been so tiring lately. Well, here's an update at last.  
**

 **For anyone following my other story, _Paw and Order_ , I hope to have that up in a day or so.  
**

 **Please review and tell me what you think ;-)**

* * *

After much more paperwork and other finer details, the big day was finally upon them. It was the day when Carly and Sam could take Jason and Katie home with them. Unbeknownst to them, Jason was made aware of the news which made him excited for the better part of that week leading up to the big day. Bad thing was that the person that worked at the agency mistakenly didn't tell the older sister about her own adoption. So for those few days, Katie was under the impression that she was going to lose her baby brother, which didn't send her in the best of moods.

Saturday rolled around and Carly eagerly told Spencer on the phone that they were on their way to pick everyone up. She begged him to come over to meet them but said that he needed to finish up his own moving. Besides, their first night in the new home should be just the four of them. He would come over the following day and meet the kids.

Spencer hung up his cell, shaking his head at the idea of being an uncle.

He was carrying a big box filled with the parts of his Bottle Bot. It was originally supposed to transport in one piece but that proved very difficult, so he disassembled it and planned to build him back up again. Spencer fumbled with his keys, trying to open the door when his arm failed and dropped the box, sending its contents around the hallway floor.

"Nice," he sighed.

"You okay?" came a feminine voice.

The older Shay turned and saw a girl in a yellow shirt with glasses.

"Me?" he blurted out.

"Don't think there's anyone else here," she chuckled. The girl quickly noticed the door. "Isn't that Carly Shay's apartment?"

"Yes, I'm actually her older brother Spencer."

"What's with all the empty bottles?" she asked, pointing to the mess on the floor.

"Oh, that!"

He deftly started picking everything up and much to his surprise, the cute girl began helping him.

"Seriously, what's with all these bottles?"

Spencer replied "They're parts of a sculpture of mine."

"That's one way to recycle," she smiled. "So, you're like an artist."

"You could say that but I'm nobody famous."

"That's okay, most artists aren't appreciated in their lifetime."

He stopped picking up junk and just decided to go for the question he probably should have asked a little while ago.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, sorry, Jodie."

"Are you and Carly friends?" he asked.

"Kind of; neighbors really. I heard she was moving away but I guess I'm too late."

Spencer grinned, "That's OK. She didn't move too far. It's actually my old place."

"Really, why?"

"Well," he grunted as he got up and picked up his box. "Her and Sam were adopting and they said they needed a bigger place so we're swapping see and..."

Jodie suddenly had a glassy-eyed look about her.

"You gave up your place so your sister could start her family?" Jodie then touched his arm, which immediately gave him goosebumps. "That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"It's not a big deal, really" he nervously shook his head.

"Do you, um" Jodie looked around and cleared her throat. "Do you...want to get some coffee?"

Spencer dropped the box, ignoring the pain from it landing on his foot.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Sam and Carly walked in the room and was quickly met with a great big bear hug from the excited little boy.

"Hi, Carly! Hi Sam!"

"Hey, little man" Sam brushed his hair.

"You ready to go?" Carly asked.

"Almost," he huffed as he scrambled like a little tornado around the room.

Jason was smiling widely as he packed up his backpack with everything he could. He didn't have much stuff but the bag was quickly full. Just then another boy about his age came into the room and sat on the floor, watching him.

"You going away?" the boy asked.

Jason nodded, "Uh-huh."

"I hope its nice," he earnestly told Jason. He seemed happy for him but a little sad that he was leaving.

"Sam, Carly this is Todd" he pointed to his friend.

The women waved and said their hellos and Todd just smiled back politely.

"I'm going to live with them," Jason proudly declared.

The boy Todd was scanning the room, looking for something.

"Where's the dad?"

Jason shook his head "I don't have a dad. I've got two moms."

"Your new house must have a lot of rules" the wide-eyed boy said.

It took everything in Carly and Sam not to burst out in laughter.

"Can you finish up here?" Sam asked Carly.

The brunette nodded, "Sure. You going to get our other child?"

Sam felt a warm feeling inside with the mention of _our children_.

"Wish me luck."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Carly reassured her.

"Yep," Sam stood up, straightening her jacket. "It's only a teenage girl, right?"

* * *

Sam went upstairs where a lot of the older kids were settled. This room, like the rest of them, had four beds. And beside each bed was a small table with a simple $5 desk lamp on it for school work and reading. Katie's bed was closer to the window. She was laying on it, her back to the door and to Sam.

"Hey," Sam cleared her throat.

"What do you want?" was Katie's weak reply.

She must have been crying from the sound of it.

"I've come to..."

" _ **I know what today is**_ ," Katie harshly interrupted, rolling over to face her foe. "Just give me a few more minutes before I have to say goodbye to my brother, alright?"

"Actually, I've come to get you. If you've got a lot of stuff, I have some bags you can use."

Katie sat up, looking confused.

"What're you talking about?"

Sam replied "We're going home. You coming?"

* * *

The little clan arrived at Bushwell Plaza and entered the elevator. They managed to get everything and everyone loaded in one trip to their floor. With a ding, Jason flew down the corridor.

"First one on the right" Carly called out.

Jason abruptly stopped at the door. Sam was right behind him, unlocking it. The wooden door swung open and the brother and sister walked in slack-jawed at how immense the apartment was. As apartments went, this was like a palace.

"Wow!" Jason ran around the living room into the kitchen. "This place is huge!"

"Come on," Carly said, taking Jason by the hand. "Let me show you your room and we can give the big tour, okay?"

"Yeah!" he replied, taking the brunette's hand.

Katie followed with Sam coming up the rear.

Jason was led to his room, which was previously Spencer's old room. Meanwhile, Sam led Katie to where she was going to sleep. The teen looked around the bedroom that was previously Carly's. It was bigger than she had anticipated. Everything seemed to be in this place.

She placed her box of belongings onto the bed.

"Bathroom's right there if you want to get a shower or something to freshen up." Sam then remembered what else she wanted to tell her. "Oh, yeah, and we were going to do some spaghetti tacos for lunch since it'll be a while until dinnertime."

The redhead turned to her.

"What the chiz are spaghetti tacos?"

"It's kind of something our little circle invented a while back. We used to make them at least once a week."

"I'm not very hungry right now" Katie said.

"No problem. Just chill and come down when you're ready, OK?"

She didn't answer as Sam left her alone.

* * *

About two hours later, Sam bounded up to Katie's room to check up on her. She found the girl looking out the window, apparently lost in her thoughts. Meanwhile the small box of her personal possessions are just sitting there like they did when she first walked in, untouched.

"You haven't unpacked yet?" Sam playfully asked.

Katie looked at her box of things sitting on the bed and shrugged.

"Not worried about it," Katie deadpanned.

The blonde folded her arms.

"Oh, and why's that?"

"Eventually you both will get tired of me and send my ass packing back to the shelter. So, don't get mad at me for not getting too excited."

Sam shut the door with her foot.

"You really believe that?"

"Sorry if I question why anyone would want _me_."

The teen was startled when she turned and the stone-faced woman was practically nose to nose with her.

"Nice defense mechanism, kid" Sam smirked. "But I've ridden the self-loathing trolley multiple times. You're looking at a former frequent flyer of juvy."

The redhead's eyes widened at that.

"What...?"

"You heard me," Sam interrupted. "I was a bad kid. Didn't help that my dad left and my mom was...well...crazy. But you had great parents and they were taken from you, which isn't fair. But I don't have to tell you that. But I _will_ say that I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for that other lady who adopted you. She and her brother gave me love and support and showed me that things can be better than the cards I was dealt."

Sam stood up and walked toward the door but slowly looked back.

"And believe me, that angsty shit will not work on me. Carly never gave up on me and we're not giving up on you. I'm sorry, Katie, but something good has happened to you. And it's not going away so like it or lump it."

With that, Sam stormed out leaving behind a stunned Katie.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Katie stayed in her room. She was called downstairs for dinner but got no response.

The three of them sat in relative silence, nobody acknowledging the elephant in the room. Or, rather, the teenage girl **_not_ ** in the room. It went on that way for about fifteen minutes and while Jason was enjoying his cheesy noodles, the silence was getting unbearable for the adults.

Before Sam could say anything, Carly marched over to the counter and started fixing a platter. Finally, she put the plate and a cold Diet Coke with an empty glass on a tray and left the kitchen.

Upon approaching Katie's room, Carly quickly realized that she didn't have a hand free to open the door. She then thought of an idea and lightly tapped the bottom of the door with her foot. It was intended to be a soft knock but ended up swinging the door open. Apparently, it wasn't shut all the way.

"Katie?"

Carly's path was interrupted by an empty brown box on its side. She walked around it and made her way toward the bed, where Katie was laying down. The brunette was about to just plop the tray down on the nightstand but hesitated when she saw what was on there. It was a framed photo of Katie, Jason and their parents. It didn't look that long ago from the look of it.

Not wanting to knock over the family picture, Carly set the food on the floor gently. Katie didn't move but her eyes shifted over to where the older woman was.

"Brought you some dinner. Nothing too special, just homemade mac and cheese. Jason told us you liked that."

She smiled for effect but only was met with the silent gaze from Katie, who breathed passively.

"Well, in case we don't see you, goodnight."

The brunette turned and was about to leave.

"Wait," came a soft voice.

Carly turned and saw Katie sitting up, cross-legged.

"What's up?" Carly asked.

"Thanks," Katie replied.

"It's no problem," she smiled, shaking her head.

The redhead leaned a little toward her.

"No, I didn't mean thanks for this," she indicated the food. "I meant for taking me _and_ Jason in."

Carly gave her best warm smile and welcoming eyes.

"So did I."

Katie watched as one of her adoptive mothers vanished into the hallway, lightly closing the door.

The teen picked up her fork and grabbed a spoonful of the bright yellow and white dish. It smelled amazing. Katie tried a taste, immediately noticing the crunchiness from the top part when you bake it. That was her favorite part even when she was little.

 _"Maybe this place isn't so bad,"_ she smiled to herself.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm back. Things have shifted a little in my schedule so I can now write in the middle of the day, which is perfect for me because late at night, I'm too tired to focus.**

 **We ought to have a handful of chapters left in this one; I'm so glad everyone is getting into this.**

 **Strap in for some feels in this one.**

 **Please read and review ;-)**

* * *

Ever since the big move, everyone's daily routine had altered drastically. Sam wakes up extra early to help Jason get ready for school. He was good with getting dressed and brushing his teeth but he had the habit of misplacing thing like his backpack or the other sneaker. Meanwhile, Katie went about her way getting ready and would often be the first one down in the kitchen for breakfast, where Carly was finishing cooking.

The teen really appreciated the smell of a hot breakfast and fresh coffee in the morning. Back at the shelter, it was a completely different situation. Since there was only one room that one could prepare food, it was usually mobbed most of the day. Katie would end up walking Jason to the bus stop and stopping for donuts and orange juice on the way. She worked part-time at the donut shop on weekends and bank holidays during the week when there was no school just to make a little money for the two of them. Carly pulled her aside and told her that financially they were fine; that her priority was her schoolwork. If she wanted to take an odd job in the summer for spending cash or to save for a car, that was okay.

Katie was still adjusting but the feeling of no longer being in the parental role and able to be more of a sister was a huge weight off her shoulders.

"We found the shoe!" declared Sam proudly, Jason's hand in hers.

"Good, because I didn't want to heat all this up for you two" chided Carly, who then looked right at the boy. "And are we going to clean our room this weekend?"

Jason nodded, "Uh-huh."

"And we'll help you if you need it, kay?" added Sam, mussing up his hair.

"Let's eat!" Carly ordered.

"Don't argue with the cook," Katie quipped, snatching a piece of bacon.

Carly went all out when it came to breakfast for the now family of four. She made scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, and oatmeal. The couple made a point to keep cold cereal in stock for the littlest one. Cap'N Crunch and Honey Nut Cheerios were his favorites.

Sam noticed a steaming mug in Katie's hand.

"You drink coffee now?"

The redhead grimaced as she sipped the hot liquid.

"Yeah, but I only really tried it since they started finals. Gets my energy up but tastes awful."

The blonde leaned over and looked into the teen's mug. She made a face and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, what?" asked Katie.

Sam bit her lip, holding up the coffee cup. "It's black."

Carly's eyes widened. "No way. That's how my dad takes it."

Katie looked back and forth between her two adoptive mothers. _**"What?"**_

"You don't have to drink it black, Katie" Sam said.

"I don't know," Katie shrugged. "I told you I don't normally drink the stuff."

The blonde stood up and took the coffee to the counter near the fridge. She added lots of cream and sugar. Sam turned around and smiled, presenting the mug back to Katie.

"Now _this_ is how most people take it."

She gave her a glance and slowly took a sip. It was only a couple of seconds from that first sip that she started heartily drinking the warm beverage.

"Oh my god, that's so much better!"

"And here I thought it was those teenage hormones but apparently that black coffee was making you bitter."

Katie smirked, "Oh you're funny, _Sam_ Kinison."

"How do you know who that is?" Sam folded her arms. "He died before _I_ was born."

"I go on YouTube," she shrugged. "I like older standup comedians more than the ones they got now. Except Patton Oswalt."

Sam's face lit up.

"I love Patton Oswalt! Did you hear the one where he wondered what if the CIA bugged his car and what they would hear?"

The two started cracking up hysterically, slamming down on the table.

"When I first heard that, I thought I was gonna piss myse-"

"Language!" Carly pointed a fork at the hyenas. Her head motioned toward the child near her.

* * *

It was Sunday and Jason was off playing at his new friend Ben's apartment. He lived with his parents a couple floors below and the two boys became fast friends. Jason even was invited to Ben's forthcoming birthday party.

So, with the youngest member of the household gone for the afternoon, it was oddly quiet.

Sam was sprawled out on the couch, watching one of her reality show guilty pleasures. This one, titled _Let's Build This_ , was all about how different buildings and other big projects were constructed. The episode on today took place in New York's Time Square where the host followed the construction crew being tasked with erecting a massive coffee advertisement, which included a humungous mug tipped on its side with a big drop hanging off of it. And the whole thing was supposed to be able to light up after dark. Sam chuckled at just the logistical nightmare of navigating the cranes and trucks through the heavy traffic.

Carly came up behind the couch and rubbed Sam's shoulder.

"Someone looks relaxed."

"Mm-hmm," Sam closed her eyes, leaning back granting Carly's hands unbridled access. "Give me a neck massage."

The brunette raised an eyebrow.

"How about we check on our girl first?"

Sam turned around, looking at the staircase. "Yeah, she's been in her room since this morning and I haven't heard much."

"Come on."

The pair ascended the steps and when they got closer to Katie's room, they could make out some faint sobs.

"Katie?" Carly asked, knocking. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," came a faint voice.

"Can we come in?" asked Sam.

A long pause hung in the air before they got a passive "Whatever."

Carly and Sam entered and saw Katie sitting on her bed, holding a picture in her hands. They knew just what was in that frame. They sat beside Katie, Sam taking her left and Carly the right. Katie clutched the picture with one arm while she used the other hand to wipe the panel with her sleeve. She had been crying so much that it was smudging the glass.

They looked down at the happy family in the photo. There was Katie and Jason seated in front of their parents. Their dad looked handsome, possibly late 40's. The resemblance between the daughter and the mother was unmistakable. They both had auburn hair, cut short. Apparently that was a preference they always shared.

"She's beautiful," Sam said, sidestepping use of the past tense.

"Today would have been her birthday" Katie softly stated, the picture shaking in her grip. "I don't know how old; I just know she was younger than dad."

Carly could sympathize. Losing her own mom was a fresh and harsh memory. Her dad tried to put on a brave face for his children, even though her and her brother knew this was eating away at him. Carly surmised that Katie was doing something similar, for her little brother's sake.

"Remember when I told you about the night mom and dad died?"

Sam nodded. She filled Carly in about the details later that day.

Katie swallowed heavily. "And when she called us when they went to get gas?"

"Yeah?" Carly said, inviting her to go on.

The girl began shaking like a leaf in the fall, about to be ripped from its branch by the wind.

"Well, I didn't tell you about what else happened on the phone. I asked my mom about this party half the class was going to at some kids house. I didn't know him but some people I knew did. Anyway, I asked her if I could go if I did my homework for the week and not leave anything undone. Mom said no, because I let it slip that the guy's parents were out of town that weekend. She didn't like that there would be no supervision, so she forbade me to go."

Fresh tears began falling from the redhead's eyes.

"I was just so angry with her. I told her that I never get invited to anything and this was my first real high school party. How could you not let me go? I mean I wasn't planning on drinking, stuff smelled gross to me anyway; and if somebody brought anything like pot or something, I'd never try that shit in a million years. Mom still said no way."

Tears rode down the teen's cheeks like rain. Carly and Sam looked at each other, concerned.

Katie took a deep breath before going on.

"I...I...got into a shouting match with her. Not like she was raising her voice but she was standing her ground. She would not say yes. And then..." Katie rubbed her shoulders, stood up and walked away to the other side of the room. "I told her that I didn't care what she thought and I hated her. She said we would talk more tomorrow about this but I just hung up on her."

She banged her head against the wall, letting it remain there. Now the tears fell freely to the floor below.

"I fucking hung up on her. I told my mom that I hated her and I hung up. That's the last thing I told my mother." Katie sighed. "And I can never take it back."

"Katie..." Sam began.

"NO!" she shot back. "I was being a selfish bitch and thanks to me, my brother only has _me_."

Carly stood.

"Hold up. You don't think...that this is your fault, do you?"

Sam joined her wife. "Do you?"

Her body language was evident enough but she confessed her guilty conscience anyway.

"Mom _was_ driving that night. She already had a lot on her mind being in an area she's never been to before, having to follow that GPS dad got. I only made things worse by giving her more worry. Don't sit there and tell me that she wasn't thinking about our fight."

"I'm sure she was," Carly said, which stunned Sam for a second. "But she was probably thinking about what to say when you saw her again the next day. Both of you had no reason to think that life wouldn't continue and fences could be mended. You said so yourself that someone spilled some oil or something on the road. It didn't matter what your mom had in mind, nothing could keep the car in control."

"But I said I hated her," Katie's face was red from crying so hard.

"And wherever she is right now," Sam stepped forward. "She knows you're sorry and wishes more than anything for you to tell her yourself."

The couple moved closer to Katie. Sensing their presence drawing nearer, she turned around leaning against the wall.

"I want you to do something for me," Sam said in her most serious tone. "I want you to look the two of us in the eye and tell us that you know it wasn't your fault."

Katie looked at the floor, unable to do so.

"Look at us!" Carly touched her arm.

The redhead swiftly lifted her head up, face still wet.

"You need to say these words. I _want_ you to say the words," Carly said. "You have to let go of this."

Sam was proud of how strong and maternal her wife was being right now.

The teenager's eyes drifted off in another direction. She mumbled something, hoping it would make them go away.

"You're not admitting it," Sam said. "You still think you're to blame."

"Would your mom blame you for what happened?"

Carly's question shook Katie to the core. She had never contemplated that before. It caught her off guard. The more she thought about it, the more she was right. Her mother loved her and Jason, despite the occasional quarrel. Was death really going to change all that?

"It's...it's not..."

"It's not what?" Carly pressed.

Katie shook her head, tugging at her hair.

"It's not..." her own eyes met with the two pairs of eyes aimed at her. "It's not my fault!" she blurted out, collapsing.

Sam and Carly were there to catch her. They would always be there to catch her.

"I'm so sorry, mom, dad! I'm sorry..."

Her sobs were sprinkled with more cries of apology to her deceased mother. It didn't take long for the three of them to descend down to the floor in a tear-filled embrace. Carly stroked Katie's hair while Sam rubbed her back, feeling her erratic breathing from all the crying. They whispered things to Katie like everything was going to be alright and that she was safe and for her to let it all come out.

For the first time in a long time, Katie didn't hold anything back and allowed for her emotions to overflow. Vulnerability was a luxury she couldn't afford for a while and to experience it here was such a cathartic moment for her.

She had slowly warmed up to Carly and Sam but right now brought Katie so close to her new moms.

 _"I'm really lucky,"_ she thought. _"I don't deserve this."_

As if reading her mind, Sam said "You deserve to be loved. Your mom can rest because she knows you and Jason are okay."

That made her cry even harder.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it). It was kind of a bust for me this year; my best friend ended up in the hospital but she's doing so much better now. That's something to be thankful for.**

 **I am also very thankful for everyone supporting and following this story from the beginning.**

 **And I'm here with the last chapter to this story. I will probably take a break when this one and my other current story both wrap up around the same time.**

 **Got a few ideas but we will see what happens.**

 **Please leave reviews ;-)**

* * *

The first year living with Carly and Sam was everything Jason and Katie could ever ask for and more. The double-mom team really came in handy for the second half of the school year. Sam was the ideal tutor for Art while Carly's niche was history and math. It was a beautiful sight, the family of four seated at the big kitchen table, working on homework. Carly would look up from her student, meeting eyes with Sam. They couldn't believe their luck and how far they have come together and how their adoptive children are thriving.

When report cards came around, Jason got mostly B's with a couple C's. They all agreed to help him get better with his English. Meanwhile, Katie made honor roll twice which hasn't happened to her since the accident. Being here with her moms taking on much of her responsibility had really liberated her to excel in her studies. Now she was looking forward to being a junior the following fall. Carly stressed to Katie to start giving some interest into what she might like to do and where she may want to go to college. Sam told her to at least start thinking about it because one day you wake up and its time to take the SAT's.

Katie wasn't expecting college in her near future. Hell, finishing high school was going to be a miracle. But that was before. Things have changed dramatically.

With school over for the summer, Sam was the CEO of all things fun in the household. She planned activities and places to visit; the next few months were going to be filled with cool things to do. Carly was able to take some time off for the bigger trips but they kept most of their plans for the weekend to be more convenient.

Saturdays and Sundays had the foursome go to amusement parks, carnivals, local arts and crafts fairs. As promised, they made a point to get acquainted with the museums so Jason could satisfy his love of dinosaurs and other cool stuff.

During the weekdays, while Carly was stuck at work and Katie doing her own seasonal job, the summer festivities were a little more laid back. Sam and Jason would take in a movie; usually the latest animated movie. The blonde relied heavily on her trusted internet reviewers to help her figure out which flicks were good and which ones stunk. Sam relished at being the kind of parent who picked and choose what her kid was exposed to. It didn't have to be educational or anything but it had to have some quality there. Disney and Laika were normally sure things, while DreamWorks or Illumination were hit and miss.

Katie worked and would hang out with friends at the mall, but she spent a good chunk of time reading. Carly walked in on Katie reading Aldous Huxley's _Brave New World_. She asked why Katie was reading something like that. The girl shrugged and replied that she had read everything worth reading for young adult and teen before she turned twelve. Now she wanted something more challenging or at least interesting enough. Carly stumbled on Katie's reading list and was impressed by some of the titles on there. She showed it to Sam, who admittedly only recognized a handful like _A People's History of the United States_ and Ray Bradbury's _Something Wicked This Way Comes_.

"We've got a smart girl here, huh?" asked Carly.

"She's gonna be amazing," Sam agreed, snuggling up alongside her wife. "Can't wait to see how she changes the world."

School started up again and everybody got used to the morning grind again, not just Carly this time. The brunette loved being seated in the kitchen, sipping her coffee while the other three were struggling with getting dressed and finding everything.

The first few months went fairly quickly and before they knew it, the holidays rolled around. Carly and Sam were shopping in toy stores, which was new in their experience. They neglected to think about any gifts for one another this year because they were so enamored with presents for the kids. Jason got a remote control monster truck, some Lego building sets, and a bike.

"Are we overdoing this?" Carly pondered.

"Hell no! It's our first Christmas together."

Carly shook her head. "You're right. What else can we get?"

Katie was contented with the iPhone they gave her a while back and didn't ask for much. But her moms knew better. The went and got her a new computer. Its a compact design, with the tower, speaker and monitor all built-in. It also has a touch screen option for the monitor, plus the mouse and keyboard were both wireless. They also got a wireless printer and a nice wooden desk to house all of this tech. And one of her stocking-stuffers was a $100 gift card for iTunes because she likes loading music into her phone.

Christmas morning was just a great time for everyone. Spencer and his new girlfriend, Jodie came along with Colonel Shay (now retired). Before the grown-ups exchanged what few gifts there were, the new young additions had at it. Jason was floored with every single thing he unwrapped. You never saw a kid look so grateful. They all said that they were from "Santa" but he was slowly figuring things out at his age. But that didn't matter to him because his moms were the best Santa ever.

The redhead was genuinely surprised when she was handed some gifts. Her face lit up when she saw the computer. She now had something other than her phone to do research and write, and she no longer had to deal with the crowds at the library to get to a desktop. Spencer offered to build the desk but his dad assured everyone that he would supervise. He reminded his son about the counter top incident (or disaster, really).

The best moment for Carly and Sam was when they saw Katie open the little present at the bottom of her stocking. She opened it and saw a gorgeous gold locket. Sam told her to open it and inside was a picture of her mom and dad. She started to shake and cry, hugging her new parents tightly. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. It was impossible for every single person in the room to not succumb to tears. Even Jason understood that his big sister was crying because she was happy.

New Years was nice and all, but that moment was the perfect end to a perfect year.

* * *

"Are they asleep?"

Jason nodded, jerking his head back to see if he could hear anything.

"Good," Katie smiled.

It was early Sunday, May the 14th and she had hoped that Sam and Carly were still asleep. Or at least still in their bedroom.

Katie typically didn't move quite so early on a Sunday like this but today was special.

Very special.

She began the pot of coffee first and started working on the pancake batter. The fresh blueberries she got the other day still looked good out of the fridge. The hotcakes were coming out real nice. Katie didn't worry because Sam taught her so much about cooking. "I live to eat" she likes to say.

On the next burner was the eggs. Katie had already prepared the bacon and was letting it cool a little on the plate near the stove, the paper towel absorbing much of the grease. That was one time she forbade Jason from coming anywhere near the stove because when she fried up the bacon, it was crackling and popping like mad. Jason dutifully grabbed a pot holder to open the door to the toaster oven and check on the hash browns.

"I think they might be done," he said.

"Golden brown?" Katie asked.

Jason shrugged "I guess so."

The teen took the fried eggs off the heat and tended to the toaster oven.

"Can you get the plates and orange juice ready?"

"Yeah," he nodded excitedly, wanting to be a part of this.

Katie gathered up the food and began divvying them up onto the two large white plates. Fried eggs, blueberry pancakes, bacon, hash browns and a banana muffin for each. Jason then helped his sister position the amenities onto the serving tray: butter, syrup, ketchup (for Sam) as well as the utensils.

"You got it?" Katie asked, holding up the big plate of food while Jason held the smaller one with the two glasses of orange juice and two fresh mugs of coffee with cream and sugar.

"Yup," he said, keeping his load steady.

"No be careful. Let's go _slowly_ up the stairs, okay?"

"Katie?"

"Yeah?"

Jason made a worried face.

"Do you think mom is okay with this?"

The big sister put down her tray so she could give her brother her full attention.

"Of course she is," she replied. "Mom knows we will never forget about her. Ever. She also knows that Carly and Sam love us very much. Mom would want us to show them how much they mean to us."

"Okay," he nodded, smiling broadly.

Katie resumed carrying her large tray. "Ready?"

"Let's go."

* * *

Carly's eyes fluttered open at the sound of someone at the door.

The warmth against her cheek was a familiar one; Sam chest which went up and down as she snored.

"Babe..." Carly said softly. "Babe? Babe! SAM!"

"Huh, what?!"

The confused blonde looked around and saw Carly sitting up.

"What's the deal, Carls"? Sam asked with a big yawn.

"Did you hear knocking?"

Then it came again.

"Who is it?"

"It's us," replied Katie. "You guys awake?"

Carly stretched as she shifted down the bed, pulling the covers off her wife. The pair's eyes widened as they realized that they weren't exactly decent at the moment.

"Yes, just give us a second!"

"Crap," Sam whispered, scrambling for her shirt.

It took a couple seconds but they were in t-shirts and shorts.

Jason put his tray down so he could open the door.

Katie came in and saw the married couple sitting up in bed whilst under the covers. She found it amusing how they assumed she was as gullible as her brother.

"HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!" they both called out.

"Are you serious?" Carly chuckled.

"Better be seriously hungry," Katie said, planting the spread onto the bed.

Sam's eyes and nose roamed the plate. "Not a problem."

Jason came right behind Katie with the coffee and juice, which he placed gently on the nightstand.

"I can't believe you guys really did this for us," Sam said, looking misty-eyed.

Fastest way to get on Sam Puckett's good side for life? Make her food.

"You two deserve it," Katie said. "Jason, go get it."

"Oh right," he said, bounding to his room where he kept the other surprise hiding.

After a couple minutes, he returned.

"Here!" he beamed, handing it off to Carly.

"Awww, they gave us a card too."

"Open it," said Sam who was already chowing down on a piece of bacon.

The brunette carefully unfurled the envelope and saw the card with a simple picture of a woman's hand holding a child's hand. She opened it and read what was inside.

 _"We haven't known you our whole lives but I know for a fact you both love us with all your heart. You fell in love with us during that short amount of time. And so did we. Have a special day to the two coolest moms in the world."_

Carly's chest felt heavy.

"I think I'm gonna cry," her lip quivered.

"You wrote that?" Sam asked, seeing the inside of the card was hand-written with a pen.

How emotional she managed to make her adoptive moms made Katie choke up a bit.

"I meant every word."

A single tear escaped Sam's eye.

"Get your butts over here now!"

The young ones obliged and the four hugged like never before.

"Now you guys stay here and relax. This is your day."

"Where are you going?" asked Carly.

Katie replied "We are going to the park and then a matinee."

"We'll be back for lunch."

"We _will_ be going out for dinner later," Sam said.

"Have fun."

The siblings left, closing the door behind them.

The married couple burst out into laughter.

"Can you believe those two?" asked Sam.

"I know," Carly nodded. "Wouldn't trade them for the world."

The blonde stretched loudly and then began fiddling with her shirt.

"So...what do we do with a whole morning to ourselves?"

Carly winked. "Not on an empty stomach, dear."

"True that," Sam agreed and grabbed a coffee, sipping it and appreciating how it was prepared to perfection. "Ah, little girl's learning."

"Hey."

"What?"

Carly raised her mug.

"Happy Mothers Day."

Sam grinned and tapped her mug with her wife's.

"Happy Mothers Day, Carly."

The pair started drinking and Sam stopped first.

"Guess I will have to upgrade you to MILF."

Carly practically spat out her mouthful.

"SAM!"


End file.
